POCATELLO — On Friday, an event to raise funds for the restoration of a local river will return to Pocatello.
Poky Paddle 2025
, an event that offers food, live music and the chance to float the Portneuf River, will take place on Friday evening. All of the funds raised from sponsors and float rentals go towards the
Portneuf River Vision project
, which is a long-term plan to link community development with river revitalization.
“You don’t have to float (the river), but it’ll definitely be (fun). (The event) has a really good, fun festival feel, but on a smaller level … it’s a great family event to be at, and … it’s just a great cause,” said Carin Tatom, the Pocatello/Chubbuck Chamber of Commerce event specialist.
The idea for Poky Paddle came about during the Portneuf River Vision Study, where a committee conducted research and worked on an implementation plan for various projects, all focused on revitalizing the Portneuf River and increasing the community’s access to it. The committee put forward the idea for the event as a way to get people out floating on the river.
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“It really took off beyond our initial expectations,” said Hannah Sanger, science and environment administrator for the city of Pocatello. “We thought maybe 50 people would show up, and we had 1,000 people floating the river that first year.”
Poky Paddle is free for the public to attend, as it brings its funding in from both sponsorships and people renting equipment to float the river.
People who arrive at Centennial Park, at South Grant Avenue & Idaho Street, will find food trucks offering a variety of foods, all the way from savory barbecue to sweet treats, as well as refreshing drinks such as soda pop, lemonade, beer and wine. They’ll be able to enjoy their food while listening to live music from “
Best By Yesterday
.”
After eating, attendees can play a variety of lawn games, or board a shuttle to go float the Portneuf River.
People who want to float the river will be able to take a shuttle from Pocatello Community Charter School to either Taysom Rotary Park or to Edson Fichter Nature Area. From there, they can either use their own equipment or rent a paddle board, kayak or inner tube to float back towards the party at Centennial Park.
The Edson Fichter float takes around an hour and a half to complete with a paddle, or two and a half hours without a paddle, and has some minor rapids at the start, compared to the Taysom Rotary float which takes around a half hour. It costs $5 to rent equipment at Tayson Rotary Park or $10 at Edson Fichter.
People who rent equipment will get a lifejacket with their floatation device. Sanger said that the Portneuf River is a good place for beginners to start because if something goes wrong, the river’s depth ranges from below the knees, up to the armpits.
“It’s very safe float,” Sanger said. “You can get out easily, and you can stand up in the river … if you’re worried about where you are and you need to stop, you can put your foot down and stand up.”
At the end of the event, Sanger said that a sweeper boat comes through to check for any stragglers going down the river, “but so far, we’ve never had anybody linger.”
The way Sanger sees it, floating down the river changes a person’s perspective on the Portneuf River.
“You can listen to the birds. You can look at the mountains. You can see the expanse of the levees as they go on and on and on. You can see the impact that trees have on temperatures in the water and … on bird life and insect life,” Sanger said. “It’s a great way just to see what a riparian habitat looks like. It’s in Edson Fichter, where we have a healthy riparian habitat and think about what kind of river you’d like to see.”
