The Middle Fork runs through the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness area, which was established in 1980. It is 2.1 million acres and the largest designated Wilderness in the lower 48 states. This wilderness area is adjacent to two other wilderness areas, the Gospel Hump Wilderness and the Selway Bitterroot Wilderness. Combined there are well over three million acres of protected ecosystem, creating a significant place for wildlife to live and roam.

When you begin a river trip near Boundary Creek, you may see elk or even moose from the river. As you move downstream and the banks become drier and rockier, you will start to see big horn sheep.  They are often seen at mineral licks.  There are also bears in the Middle Fork drainage. These are not Grizzly bears but rather, are black bears. The other large predator in the area is the wolf. There is a large pack in the Sawtooth range near Stanley and they do enter the Middle Fork area as well. While on the water you could also see river otter, and deer.

Bird species abound.  High overhead keep your eyes open for golden eagles, peregrine falcons, red tailed hawks and other birds of prey. You may be woken in the morning by chukar partridge (an introduced species), see merganser ducks navigating rapids, have cliff swallows dancing above you and witness kingfishers scouting for food. The American dipper makes nexts of moss on cliffs over fast-moving rapids and they are one of the most commonly seen birds on the Middle Fork of the Salmon.

Historically, the river was also home to countless salmon, which drew in larger populations of bears. Currently there are still a few to be seen jumping at Dagger Falls above Boundary Creek. The salmon populations have been in decline for many years and are now so low that it almost seems tragic to have them be the namesake of this river. Most scientists and conservationists agree that the problem comes from a few specific dams on the lower Snake River. For more information please look at the Idaho Rivers United (IRU) website.

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Geology | Wildlife | Plant Life

Native People | Early Settlers & Homesteads | Boating History