Helping Teton River to get its float on! New river outfitter opens

DRIGGS — Blue sky, puffy white clouds, sun on your back, and the Tetons on the horizon, floating the river might just be one of the quintessential summer activities here in the valley. Now that experience has become a bit better.

As of May 1, Teton River Supply, located in the old courthouse building in Driggs, has begun offering a selection of inflatable boats, for sale and rent, as well as a shuttle to and from their shop in Driggs to the river and back. The all-inflatable wares include single and double tubes (with an inflatable cooler), stand up paddle boards, single and tandem kayaks, as well as single and dual fishcat boats. Teton River Supply is also an exclusive dealer of Dave Scadden, an inflatable boat company based out of Ogden, Utah. The Dave Scadden products come with a lifetime warranty with purchase.

Owner Matt Rigsby has lived in Teton Valley for the past three years and been a white water kayaker since he was old enough to hold a paddle. He travelled around the world in search of whitewater thrills and eventually landed in Jackson. After a stint of white water guiding there, he moved over the hill and saw the opportunity for a boat supply and shuttle service here in Teton Valley.

“In West Virginia, there were thousands of boats on the river. [Here in Teton Valley,] the white water around here is really good, even if it’s a short season,” he said. “It’s almost like you get your own private river. [It’s a] good niche for the boat scene here.”

Along with his girlfriend, Adrienne Negy, Matt offers transportation to and from the river. For $15, you leave your car at the shop, get dropped off at the Bates river put-in, and get a ride back from the Packsaddle boat ramp (Big Eddy is an additional exit as well). In an effort to keep locals happy and the rivers peaceful, shuttles will not start before Bates and won’t go past the Packsaddle entry. With the snowmelt during this time of the year, the float from Bates to Packsaddle, a meandering 10-mile stretch, takes only two hours, with minimal effort paddling. Later on in the summer, the river lowers and slows and an additional six-pack is highly advisable.

Coming soon, Matt plans to offer guided river floats with naturalists to point out wildlife and local history.

Shuttle Information:

• $15 per person round trip. Meet at Teton River Supply, located at 89 N. Main St. in Driggs.
• Shuttle Times: times subject to change.
• Meet at shop to shuttle to Bates: 10 a.m., 12 p.m., 2 p.m.
• Pick up at Packsaddle: 12:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 4:30 p.m.
• Please arrive 30 minutes before the trip time.
• For information on hours, pricing, and anything else, visit www.tetonriversupply.com, call 208-534-8784, or email tetonriversupply@gmail.com.

This story was originally published in the Teton Valley News. It is used here with permission.