Worried about the risks? Unsure about the gear? You don't have to experience the great outdoors alone. Outfitters, as the name suggests, are companies that outfit their customers with equipment and guides for a fun, safe adventure in the wild. Many outfitters or guide services specialize say, in backcountry or river rafting while others have their hands in many pies.

The next time you're looking for adventure, consider these:

White Otter Adventures

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This Sun Valley-based outfitter offers guided river and float fishing trips. The latter are popular for young families and senior couples who don't want a rough time on the water, said owner Doug Fenn. Already, fishing is doing well.

"There are so many fishermen in Sun Valley," he said. "We're either getting a lot of families with smaller kids or older folks who aren't comfortable waiting around on the beach or on the rocks. In a float they can sit up higher in the water, and they seem to really enjoy it. It's a really good way for people to get into fly fishing."

Fenn, who's owned White Otter since 2008, said it's a pleasure for him to meet the people of southern Idaho and beyond who come to enjoy adventure on the Salmon River.He expects steelhead fishing to be good for at least the next couple of weeks; after that, he said, warmer temperatures will cause water to rise and fishing to slow. On average, float trips are 10 miles sometimes farther depending on water flow and customers' wishes. A fisherman can get onto a float for $300 for up to seven hours. Add $25 for a second person.
Information: 877-788-5005 or whiteotter.com.

Idaho Guide Service

River guide Olin Gardner has made a name for himself in southern Idaho, and he, too, looks forward to a good season.
"There's definitely a good flow; not quite near as good as last year," he said. "But it seems like it'll be a busy season; people are already calling." Besides guided river trips, the company offers rock climbing by certified staff from the American Mountain Guides Association.
Idaho Guide Service was licensed last year for technical mountaineering and rock climbing. Most of the climbs currently are at Dierkes Lake, a good place for beginners and intermediate climbers, Gardner said.

Check the Fishing Forecast

"It doesn't look like there's much there," he said, but that's not true. "You can boulder the heck out of new routes." Eventually, Gardner would like to extend his climbing ventures to the City of Rocks National Reserve near Almo, but that requires extending his permit area. A guided rock-climbing adventure starts at $75 for a group of five for half a day. Information: 734-4998.

High Adventure River Tours

Randy McBride didn't much like the 2011 river season. His company, High Adventure River Tours in Hagerman, had to cancel trips because of inclement weather that seemed to never end. He's hoping for a better season this year -- his last as owner of the guide service. And from what he's seeing on the Snake River so far this spring, he said, prospects look good. "We've got a pretty good snowpack coming down," McBride said. "It just depends on how it comes down. If it hits 90 degrees in June, we're in big trouble."

The company specializes in guided rough-water rafting and kayaking trips and calm-water fishing trips near the Hagerman and Bliss portions of the Snake. Float the Hagerman section, a class 3 rapid, for three hours and 10 miles. The trip starts at Salmon Falls Dam and ends at Hagerman Ranch. There are other options, too. Prices start at $30 a person. McBride said he'd love to see you on the water, as this will be his last year running the business. After 40 years of running rivers -- 30 years of that at High Adventure -- McBride plans to sell to employee Wayne White at the end of the season. Information: 837-9005, 731-2829 or hartofidaho.com.

Dry Creek Outfitters

This Murtaugh-based outfitter is best known in the Magic Valley for the bass fishing tournament it hosts every September at Milner Reservoir in Burley. This year it's Sept. 8. Owner Brad Perkins said the event draws people from Idaho, Oregon, Utah and Wyoming and gives them a chance to use the company's specially made tackle, as fishermen in the tournament can use only Dry Creek tackle. The tackle is shipped all over the U.S. and Canada and is just beginning to go to China, Perkins said. The tournaments include 65 two-person teams and close to $30,000 in prizes.

Perkins works part time for a guide service in Alaska but said the local business helps anglers grow their fishing experience by providing tips on where to go, what to use and how to rig their tackle. "Rather than just be a place to pick up their tackle, we like to show them how to use it," Perkins said. "We don't carry anything that doesn't work well in our area. ... I know what's working in all our fisheries, so I can recommend where to go." Information: 432-5454 or drycreekoutfitters.com.

Source: THE TIMES-NEWS