| Raft River | |
| Map Size: | 300px |
| Pushpin Map Size: | 300px |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | United States |
| Subdivision Type2: | State |
| Subdivision Name2: | Idaho / Utah |
| Source1: | Albion Mountains |
| Source1 Location: | Cassia County, Idaho and Box Elder County, Utah |
| Mouth: | Snake River |
| Mouth Location: | Cassia County, Idaho |
| Mouth Coordinates: | 42.6056°N -113.2406°W |
The Raft River is a 108adj=midNaNadj=mid[1] tributary of the Snake River located in northern Utah and southern Idaho in the United States. 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 runoff from the nearby Grouse Creek Range also flows into the Raft River. Portions of the Black Pine and Sublett mountains are also in the river's watershed. The river flows generally north to join the Snake River in Cassia County, Idaho.
The Raft River's drainage basin includes four divisions of Sawtooth National Forest, and is approximately 1506sqmi in area, of which approximately 95% of the overall area is in Idaho.[2]
The river is named for the fact Oregon Trail pioneers would cross the river with rafts, as it was often flooded as a result of beaver dams.[3]
The Oregon Trail crossed the Raft River approximately 2miles south of Interstate 86. 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.