High Gas Prices Could Mean Less South Idaho River Float Chaos

As the official start of summer gets closer, many Idaho resorts and campgrounds are going to start booking out. High gas prices could also mean that your favorite spots to camp, kayak, and float tube at could look a lot different than they did a year ago.

June 21 is the first day of summer. A gallon of gasoline in Idaho is currently upwards of $5, according to the American Automobile Association. Americans are getting hit in purses and wallets very hard, and this reality will no doubt result in some Idahoans getting away for weekends far less than they are accustomed to.

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One of our favorite areas to float, kayak, and camp has always been just outside of Stanley Lake. For the first time visiting the area as far back as I can recall, the summer of 2021 was a bit of a nightmare. We camped multiple times last year, and there was a massive influx of people. The area chamber of commerce and other travel sites have been talking up the area in recent years as a way to drive more people to this region of the state, and we really felt the impact in 2021.

Our campsite was bombarded with people asking for directions to the float tube launch site. We had people parking their cars within a few feet of our tents and wandering around aimlessly trying to locate it. It got totally out of control. This year's only saving grace might be high fuel costs.