Double Drop Rapids is a Class III+/IV rapid on the Selway River in Idaho County, Idaho, at river mile 27.5 of the wilderness float from Paradise to Race Creek. It opens a long series of continuous Class III and IV rapids, the stretch boaters know as Moose Juice. The Selway has been part of the national Wild and Scenic Rivers System since 1968.
The falls
Double Drop sits about 0.7 mile below the mouth of Moose Creek, a tributary that often doubles the Selway's flow. That extra water arrives just before the river's hardest miles: from Double Drop at mile 27.5 to mile 31.5 the rapids come one after another, including Wa-Poots, Ladle and Little Niagra, rated Class IV- to IV+.
Getting there
The rapid is reached by boat. The standard trip runs from the Paradise Launch Site to Race Creek Campground, a distance of 47.9 miles taking four to six days. From May 15 to July 31 a permit is required, and Bitterroot National Forest allows just one launch a day, with up to 16 people; the reservation fee is $6 and there is no per-person fee. From August 1 to May 14 no permit is needed and groups of up to 20 may launch.
When to go
The recommended season is spring and summer, at 1,000 to 14,000 cfs on the Lowell gauge or 1 to 4.4 feet at Paradise. For the overall run, 700 to 35,000 cfs on the Selway River near Lowell gauge spans low (700 to 2,000), medium (2,000 to 14,000) and high (14,000 to 35,000). The Lowell reading includes Moose Creek, which the Paradise gauge misses.
On site
Flows of 14,000 cfs and up call for Class V skills, and 20,000 cfs and up is solid Class V. A May 2023 trip report warns of a large, dangerous hole at the bottom right of Double Drop above 14,000 cfs; stay clear of it at high water. On May 10, 2025, two professional guides died on an early-season Selway trip.
Nearby
Big Hill Rapids is about 35.3 miles away, Indian Rapids about 35.9 miles, Bargamin Rapids about 40.1 miles and Fivemile Rapids about 41.1 miles. Hamilton, Montana, is the nearest town, about 38.8 miles away.
Distances are straight-line.