Over 100 miles of river flowing through the largest Wilderness Area in the lower 48 states makes for an incredible rafting trip that exposes you to spectacular scenery, wildlife, and exciting whitewater rafting rapids. During its 100-mile course, the Middle Fork of the Salmon winds its way through a variety of landscapes. Beginning at around 6000’, the first 15 miles float through a thick forest of spruce and fir. The river then opens up into a larger canyon with slopes studded with huge ponderosa pines. The final two days pass through steep granite canyons of “Impassable Canyon”, the third deepest canyon in North America where waterfalls plummet and spires of rock jut into the sky.
Professional guides and outfitters generally offer Middle Fork Salmon rafting trips from mid-May through September. There are no dams on the Middle Fork Salmon River, so water levels are entirely dependent on how much snow is in the mountains and how it melts. Generally speaking, the water level is high from early to late June and this makes for bigger whitewater thrills. As the water drops through the season the river becomes more technically challenging as you maneuver through boulders and narrow canyons. Most of the rapids are class III-IV.
Middle Fork Salmon Rafting
Of all the rivers in North America, only the Colorado through the Grand Canyon is more famous than the Middle Fork of the Salmon. It’s every rafters dream to do a whitewater trip here. The combination of challenging rapids, awe-inspiring scenery, hot springs, superb hiking trails, excellent fishing, Indian rock art and pioneer homesteads all add up to make the Middle Fork Salmon one of the finest whitewater rafting trips in all the world.
Most people who float the Middle Fork of the Salmon do so in rafts that vary in length from 14 to 18- feet. This river is best enjoyed in a self-bailing raft due to the frequency of the rapids. For those planning a do-it-yourself trip, be sure you have plenty of room for all the camping gear, including required fire pans and portable toilets. Under Forest Service permit regulations, all river users are expected to practice Leave No Trace camping ethics.
About half of those who go on Middle Fork Salmon rafting trips go on a professionally guided adventure. On these raft trips, the guides handle all the logistics, provide all the equipment and do all the cooking and cleaning. The better ones also add immense value through their knowledge of the river. They take you to places that would otherwise be hard to find on your own, such as sites with Indian rock art, old pioneer homesteads, hidden waterfalls and wilderness hot springs. They are also prepared to show you the best fishing holes and the best places to scout the rapids
A unique tradition on the Middle Fork of the Salmon is the use of large rafts called “sweep boats.” Rather than navigating by the use of oars that stick out perpendicular to the side of the raft, sweep boats have a sweep blade that sticks out at each end of the raft and these are used for steering. You can speed up or slow down in a sweep boat, but their purpose is to carry a large load of cargo with very little draw (the amount of boat sitting in the water.) Some of the professional guide services on the Middle Fork use these sweep boats to travel ahead of the group and set up camp. Thus, once you arrive the kitchen is set up and your tent is ready. All rafting companies must be licensed by the State of Idaho and hold a special use permit from the USFS (United States Forest Service). They must also be bonded and insured. Before signing up with a company offering whitewater rafting trips on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, it is wise to check that they are properly licensed and permitted.
The half of those people that float the Middle Fork Salmon and don’t go with a licensed guide or outfitter, do so on their own, using their own equipment and arranging all their own logistics. It is an appropriate trip for those with very solid skills rowing or paddling through class IV whitewater.
Whether your go with a rafting company or on your own, the Middle Fork of the Salmon River provides one of the world’s greatest wilderness river trips.
Why Is it Called the “Middle Fork” of the Salmon?
It’s curious to see how rivers are named. Sometimes a larger river system will be identified by naming the main stem of the river and then referring to other major tributaries as “forks.” In the case of the Salmon River, the headwaters of the main river are in the Sawtooth mountains of south-central Idaho. The main stem flows from near the town of Stanley, Idaho, north to the town of Salmon. There the Lemhi River joins it from the east and the river turns west. It flows west for the next 150 miles until it reaches the town of Riggins, where it again turns north. Just west of the town of Salmon, the North Fork of the Salmon comes in, so called because it is the largest tributary on the north side of the main stem of the Salmon River. There is another major tributary about 80 miles downstream, large enough to be considered a “fork” and it is called the “south fork” because it comes f rom the south. Between these two is the Middle Fork, which also flows from south to north. So there are two major tributaries joining the river from the south. It’s not clear why cartographers didn’t give one of these an entirely different name. But they didn’t and that is why we now have the “Middle Fork Salmon” and the “South Fork Salmon.”
The Salmon River is in turn a tributary to the Snake River, which in turn is a tributary to the Columbia River. The Snake could have been called a “fork” of the Columbia, but wasn’t. There’s a lot of interesting history there and this would make a great topic for students of geography.
Kayaking and Canoeing on the Salmon River
The Middle Fork of the Salmon drops an average of 30-feet per mile making it a fairly steep river that almost always has current moving downstream. This makes it attractive to kayakers and canoeists. In addition, there are dozens of fun rapids, ranging from class II to class IV. This also makes it an ideal place for kayakers and even skilled canoeists, providing they have flotation in their canoes. Some professional guide services and commercial outfitters offer raft-support to kayaking groups. This allows paddlers who don’ t know the river to benefit from the convenience and knowledge of these services while still paddling their own craft, It is also true that some commercial outfitters take along inflatable kayaks for their guests, which are a great introduction to river kayaking.
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Middle Fork Salmon Rafting | Whitewater Difficulty | Middle Fork Highlights