Days 1-6: Middle Fork Salmon River
Take a scenic flight to the put-in at Indian Creek, where your boats and crew await you. (At certain water levels, you may be lucky enough to put in further upstream at Boundary Creek, which is accessed by ground shuttle.) After an informative safety talk and brief paddle raft/inflatable kayak instruction, take to the pure crisp waters of the breathtaking Middle Fork. Within moments, you’ll experience your first rapid, an appropriate introduction to this river whose exciting, consistent whitewater doesn’t stop until its confluence with the Main Salmon.
The high elevation put-in point awards you with fantastic alpine scenery, and you spend the first day among deep green forests, dramatic mountains, and crystal clear creeks that pour out of the woods and into the river. If possible, stop for an invigorating soak in a steaming natural hot spring…but not before braving big rapids like Velvet Falls and Ramshorn.
The first day generally sets the pace for your time on the river. Typically, you spend a few hours on the water in the morning, sometimes stopping for a great hike, a visit to a waterfall or an Indian pictograph, or a soak in a natural hot spring. Come lunchtime, you pull over to a sandy beach and enjoy a delicious picnic. After feasting and relaxing on the beach (or perhaps swimming, a game of Frisbee or a nature walk), get back in the boats for more exciting whitewater. Be sure to try your hand at the paddleboat and inflatable kayak! Mid- to late-afternoon, stop and make camp; you grab your bags and set up your tent while O.A.R.S. takes care of the kitchen and “living room” – camp chairs and the site for tonight’s campfire (if permitted). Before long you’ll be savoring pleasing hors d’oeuvres and the beverage of your choice – delicious as these refreshments are, they always taste better after a day on the river! Read, nap, or just sit back and laugh with friends and family as O.A.R.S. prepares dinner. After another satisfying feast, the evening is yours to spend however you wish. Maybe music, stories or jokes will bring you together tonight; maybe the popping of the fire, the whisper of the river and the clarity of the big, star-filled sky will encourage silent reflection on the amazing wilderness that is, for now, your home.
>Continuing down the river the next few days, you’ll see the scenery change from high mountains to gently rolling hills. Thick forests give way to miles of open grassland dotted with cool glades of pine. The views remain stunning and the whitewater action-packed. Huge rapids like Powerhouse and Pistol Creek are interspersed with less intense, yet still thrilling whitewater in the form of wave trains, chutes and drops. The journey downstream takes you to more hot springs, caves decorated with Sheepeater Indian pictographs, and magnificent Veil Falls, a unique waterfall that plummets freely into a natural amphitheatre from a high rock overhang.
Towards the end of this stretch, the Middle Fork rushes into Impassable Canyon, a narrow gorge that creates some of the most high-intensity and continuous whitewater of the trip. Paddle hard through Redside, Rubber and Hancock rapids, and enjoy the sudden spectacular change in scenery from wooded hills to the sheer granite walls and huge boulders of Impassable Canyon.
On Day 6, reach the confluence with the Main Salmon. The guests who are only floating the Middle Fork will say goodbye and leave the river, heading back to Salmon, Idaho. Turning west at the confluence, the flow of the combined rivers more than doubles and you float toward Corn Creek where the Main Salmon journey officially begins. Once you reach Corn Creek the guides will work to expedite the process of bringing on fresh provisions and preparing for the continuation of your journey. Days 7-13: Main Salmon River
After a hearty breakfast, load up the boats and continue the journey. The scenery of the Main – distinct from that of the Middle Fork, yet equally beautiful – immediately transfixes you, and for the duration of the trip, you’re mesmerized by the grandeur of the 3.2 million acre Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness. This broad canyon is heavily forested with towering pines and conifers and, early in the season, blanketed with vibrant wildflowers. You may be welcomed to the Main by a family of otters swimming near the boats, a herd of bighorn sheep scaling a steep canyon wall, a giant elk or moose wading in the shallows, or if you’re lucky, a black bear standing sentinel on shore.
As you journey into the pristine heart of the Frank Church, each day brings new discoveries: exciting rapids like Salmon Falls, Big Mallard and Growler, historical sites such as Buckskin Bill’s homestead and Jim Moore’s place (maybe you’ll find the fortune he buried in the hillside!), and the much anticipated Barth Hot Springs. Avid hikers may enjoy a challenging climb to Rabbit Point, where the beautiful views are well worth the effort of getting there. The fishing is excellent during these days, and on trips in July and August, warm air and water temperatures encourage frequent refreshing dips in the river.
The last two days on the Main Salmon parallel the Forest Service road, and you share the river canyon with a gravel road for one day and the highway for a second day - a small concession. You’re treated in turn to another hot spring, a favorite swimming hole near French Creek, and some of the river’s best rapids, including Ruby, Lake Creek, Lightning Creek, Chair Creek and Fiddle Creek. Days 14-17: Lower Salmon River
You’ve now reached the Lower Salmon River. It’s hard to believe that this mighty, deep blue river that rolls through dry, golden canyons is the same high-mountain, clear-water creek that you saw on the Middle Fork. Another significant difference is the water temperature – the river is much warmer here on the Lower, and those ready to test it out can swim through Rollercoaster rapid, which marks the entrance to Green Canyon. Stop to visit some ancient pictographs, then continue whitewater action with rapids like Wright-way, Demon's Drop and Pine Bar rapids.
As you float along the river, keep an eye out for the wildlife that inhabits the canyon. Golden eagles, ospreys, and river otters make frequent appearances; if you’re lucky, you might also see beavers, cougars, and Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep.
After Green Canyon come Cougar and Snow Hole canyons, each offering a different perspective on the striking scenery around you. All the while, the river slowly unfolds its long and varied history, providing glimpses of old mining and ranching sites, geological displays of basalt formations, remnants of ancient Indian cultures, and the remains of old Chinese stone houses. Entering Snow Hole Canyon, you face some of the biggest, most exciting whitewater of the Lower Salmon: Half & Half, Snow Hole and China Bar rapids.
Slide Rapid marks the entrance to Blue Canyon; perhaps the most spectacular of the four gorges through which you’ve traveled. Hikers in the group might enjoy climbing to a vista point for an impressive bird’s-eye view of the river winding through the steep and slender canyon. Further downstream, as you join the Snake River, you may have the fun of swimming a rapid.
After passing through the confluence with the Grande Ronde, arrive at the take-out, Heller Bar. The 17-day journey has led you through 308 miles of Idaho’s glorious, ever-changing wilderness. Now, a 45-minute ride is all it takes to get back to “civilization”, though you’ve been worlds away during this unforgettable experience on the Salmon River. |
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