MOOSE, WY — A 44-year-old raft guide died Tuesday evening in a rafting accident on the Snake River.
A Grand Teton Lodge Company scenic float raft on a training trip got caught in a snag near the historic Bar BC Dude Ranch, according to a press release from Grand Teton National Park. A few of the passengers and eventually the boat operator, who are all Grand Teton Lodge Company Employees, fell into the water trying to dislodge the raft. The passengers were able to climb safely onto the log snag and back into the raft, but the boat operator was missing.
Rangers responded to a call for help at about 3:30pm with multiple rescue boats and medical/rescue personel. Teton County Search and Rescue helped look for the man by air. The body of the boat operator was found near the snag at about 5:15pm and Teton County Coroner declared the victim deceased.
The other passengers were unharmed. The victim has been identified as Brian Allen, 44, of Moran, Wyoming. The National Park Service is conducting an investigation into the accident.
On June 12 2018, authorities in Grand Teton National park made an announcement warning boaters of numerous logjams that had created unpredictable and unusually challenging conditions on the Snake River between Deadman’s Bar and Moose Landing, specifically in the area directly upstream of Bar BC Ranch.
David Rogers It's my opinion that the Deadman's - Moose section where this happened is the most hazardous section of the Snake River. tt has no rapids to speak of and not a lot of gradient, but there are a lot of braided channels which are prone to the formation of log jams. Under the current runoff conditions the water is silty and hard to read. I seriously think that any swimmer in the last few miles of this run where this occurred would have a hard time getting to shore without tangling in a strainer. The wood is literally everywhere and the water is really moving. It's not a difficult run in the summer when the water levels drop and the water gets crystal clear. Even then some of the channels braid down quite narrow and can end in channel wide strainers. A lot of people don't give this section the respect it deserves. It's sad that people keep dieing on this section. 
