River Trip Games
A Rafting trip is not the same without a group game!
Spice Things up:
Take the competition to the next level by playing a new game each night. Keep score throughout your multiday rafting trip down the Salmon River. The people with the fewest points have groover or dinner duty on the last day.
1. SALMON RIVER MURDER MYSTERY
A river trip game intended to be played one evening while rafting down the River of No Return. It is a “who done it” style game where players embody characters that are loosely based upon historical Salmon River figures.
I recommend playing this in the first couple of nights as an ice breaker. It will be a talking piece as you continue down the river and encounter the actual homesteads of the characters you just embodied.
Learn More about The River of No Return a Murder Mystery
2. Find Your Balls
As the name suggests, this is a very easy river trip game where the objective is simply to find four balls. The challenge lies in the fact you will be blindfolded, guided only by your partner’s voice and speed is of the essence.
I highly recommend this game for any group!
Number of Players: 4 or more
Equipment:
- 20 ping-pong balls: 1 out of every 5 balls needs to be a different color.
- Timer
- Blindfold (tuke/beanie)
Playing field:
- Approximately 20-30 yards in length and 15 yards in width of sandy beach.
- At the starting line place a log (runner will start behind this log and finish on the other side).
- Create 4 piles of 5 balls. 1 ball within each pile needs to be a different color.
- The piles should be randomly spaced out by 5-10 yards. Obstacles (high risk!) can be placed at the group’s discretion.
Game play:
- Break into teams of two people.
- Team 1, Player 1 will put on the blind fold behind the starting log. As soon as they cross over the log into the playing field, the timer starts.
- Player 2 from Team 1 shouts instructions to their teammate guiding them to each of the piles. At no time can player 2 cross into the playing field.
- At each pile, Player 1 uses their partner to identify the different color ball.
- Once Player 1 has the ball, they must return it back across the starting log. This can be done by running it back or throwing it. Player 1 cannot proceed to the next pile until the ball has crossed the starting log. (Poorly thrown balls must be re-found prior to proceeding).
- Player 2 guides Player 1 to all ball piles. The timer stops only when player 1 has crossed the starting log with the final ball.
- Player 1 from each team will go through in round 1. The order of the teams will be reversed for round 2. (Round 1: Player 1/Team 1, P1/T2, P1/T3 — Round 2: P2/T3, P2/T2, P2/T1).
- Shortest TOTAL time for Player 1 and Player 2 is the winner.
3. Beersbee (Polish horeshoes)
This is a classic four person frisbee game that is as fun to watch as it is to play. Packing is easy with the required equipment being 2 (ski) poles and a frisbee. If you haven’t heard of this before think of it as a competitive game of catch.
Link to rules and description HERE
4. Horseshoes
Timeless game for any camping trip that is perfect for the large sandy beaches along the Main and Lower sections of the Salmon River.
5. Groover War (2 person tug-of-war)
Two players face off standing on ammo cans 15 feet apart holding a long rope. The objective is to be the last person standing on the ammo can with the rope still in hand. Similar to tug-of-war but with more creativity and finesse.
There are a number of ways this can be played so feel free to get creative. (Examples: Stand on opposite ends of a raft instead of ammo cans or enable pushing and pulling using a large flexible branch))
