Middle Fork of the Salmon River Itinerary

Most of our Middle Fork of the Salmon River trips are 6 days. Although we follow a general itinerary for rafting and hanging out in camp, our guides tailor each trip with different activities, side hikes, lunch spots, and great campsites.

“If I had to choose one river to run, once a year for the rest of my life, the choice would be easy. I would choose the Middle Fork.”
– Jeff Rennicke, river guide and writer

Pre-Trip Meeting in Stanley, Idaho

We meet the night before the trip begins at the Mountain Village Lodge in Stanley, Idaho, for a pre-trip meeting. You’ll be welcomed by the head guide for an orientation and be given camping equipment and dry bags.

Day 1

After a hearty breakfast, we head to the river. Depending on river conditions we either drive to Boundary Creek or fly into Indian Creek (if a flight is required, we cover the cost.).

Once we make it to the river put-in, we have a safety talk, discuss boat selection, and get on the river. Lunch happens mid-day. We typically arrive at camp around 3 PM and our guides help you get acquainted in camp.
Riverside Camping (L,D)

Days 2, 3, & 4

The next few days are full days on the river. Coffee is ready by 7:00 AM and breakfast is served around 8:00 AM. After fueling up for the morning, we pack up camp, load the boats, and hit the river. We often go hiking along one of the side creeks or stop to visit a hot spring.

There are many places to stop and visit. We are sure to stop at hot springs including those at Loon Creek. A hiking trail along the river allows for many great hikes during the day or from camp.
Riverside Camping (B,L,D)

Day 5

We begin Day 5 like the others with morning coffee and a hearty breakfast. Today we pass Big Creek (the largest tributary) and enter the famous Impassable Canyon.

There is no trail next to the river here and we are in this narrow canyon for the rest of the trip.
Riverside Camping (B,L,D)

Day 6

Our last day on the river has some of the best whitewater of the trip. The Middle Fork runs into the Main Salmon and our last four miles are on the Main Salmon. Our final rapid, Cramer Creek Rapid, was created when Cramer Creek flash-flooded in 2003 and dammed the river which created this big and very fun water challenge.

We finish at Cache Bar around noon and drive to Salmon, Idaho.

(B,L)

Whitewater

The Middle Salmon begins small and fast. There are few major rapids yet the countless minor ones demand our attention. Gradually the canyon opens up. The river is now a real river, broad and sometimes shallow, sometimes constricted into narrow slots of rushing water, waves, and holes. We will be challenged by Marble Rapid, Grouse, and the Tappans. In the Middle days of our trip the water is slower but great fun, especially for those in duckies.

The last two days, you’ll float on through the impressive Impassable Canyon, with almost vertical rock walls. You see the Middle Fork at its full strength here. The rapids are bigger and closer together.

When we enter Impassable Canyon the river becomes so tight that, looking downstream, one sometimes doubts there will be room for the rafts. Here the rapids are larger, more exciting, and more frequent. Redside, Porcupine, Cliffside, and Weber come in quick succession, and are followed shortly by Rubber, the largest rapid on the river. Soon after Rubber the rapids House Rock, Hancock, Devil’s Tooth, and others follow in quick succession.

As the trip nears an end, you enter the Main Salmon and encounter Cramer which provides the perfect end to the trip just above take-out at Cache Bar.

Natural History

Wildlife in the Middle Fork canyon includes deer, elk, bear, cougar, coyote, fox, river otter, Bighorn Sheep, and mountain goat. Most wildlife will make an effort to stay out of view, but the Bighorn Sheep are amazingly unafraid of river travelers. Small herds of ewes and kids will often stand a few feet off the water and watch boats float by. Ram and bear sightings are becoming more common and eagles soar overhead.

When we begin the river is small and fast, the canyon tight and intimate, and we float past dense groves of Lodge pole Pine and Douglas Fir. Gradually the canyon grows and opens up as the Lodgepole Pine forest is replaced by grass, sagebrush, and the occasional but majestic Ponderosa Pine. This is the winter home of the elk, who have headed for the high country by the time we arrive. As we enter the famous Impassable Canyon, spectacular sheer rock walls replace the more gradual slopes, and the canyon narrows in dramatic beauty.

Superb Fishing

The Middle Fork is a superb fishing stream, and is one of the few native fisheries left in the United States. This means that it has never been stocked with hatchery fish. The abundant Dolly Varden, Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout, Steelhead, and endangered Chinook Salmon are all native fish protected by a catch and release law. Fishermen must use barbless hooks and release their fish unharmed. The water is so clear that it is common to spot countless fish from boats.