Raft River

Here's the 411: The Raft River is a tributary of the Snake River located in northern Utah and southern Idaho. It is part of the Columbia River Basin.

The Raft River's headwaters are mostly on the east side of the Albion Mountains, southeast of Oakley, Idaho. But its Clear Creek tributary also drains the north side of the Raft River Mountains in Utah and the runoff from the nearby Grouse Creek Range also flows into the Raft River. The river flows generally north to join the Snake River in Cassia County, Idaho.

The river is named after a crossing of the Oregon Trail where pioneers built rafts out of whatever was available to aid in crossing the river. The river is presently dry for much of the year.

The Oregon Trail crosses the Raft River. At the top of the bluff above Raft River the "Parting of the Ways" took place. The Oregon Trail continued West and the California Trail headed South. Graves of those who died from being mortally wounded at Massacre Rocks can be found in the same area along the river. The Clark Massacre of 1851 took place near the Raft River itself.

The BPA has declared the Raft River basin as the number 1 geothermal location in the Northwest (USA) based on the temperature of the reservoir. A geothermal power plant is located nearby.