"Even though this run's only a mile long, I'll have to admit - the first time I ran it, I was glad to see the take-out! The Milner Run of the Snake has the most powerful hydraulics of any run in Idaho. The water is enormous and continuous for its entire length. At high flows, the river has that feeling of "weird" bigness - waves surge up beneath you and heave your boat off to the side; eddy lines can give you tail stands.

This run is best at high water - between 12,000 and 15,000 cfs. It's a wild freight train ride right down the middle. As a matter of fact, you'll want to make it a point to avoid the turbulent eddies along the sides. The only real obstacle is Big Vee, an enormous, breaking V-wave about halfway through the run. It is an almost certain back endo for kayakers, but flushes right through. Perhaps it is runnable in a very large raft, but as of this writing, that stunt remains to be done.

At some point below 12,000 cfs, a river-wide hole develops about a third of the way into the run, requiring a portage.

The entire run should be scouted prior to getting on. It is most easily scouted from the left side.

By the way (just to relax you at the put-in), the whole run has been swum... and survived. But make no mistake about it - this run is for experts only!

Access: To reach the put-in, take Interstate 84 to Exit 194 (Hazelton, Ridgeway Road), east of Twin Falls, Idaho. Take the southern frontage road east for one mile. Turn right and continue 2.5 miles to a T intersection. Bear left and continue 1.5 miles to a Y intersection. Bear right and continue one-half mile to a bridge over the Snake River. This is the put-in.

To reach the take-out, drive over the bridge and onward one-half mile to a road on the right that parallels a canal. About a mile down that road is a spot where you can climb out of the canyon from the river.