South Fork of the Salmon River
Kayaking and Rafting the South Fork at 2.5'
Reputations are tied to rivers just as they are to people. Some stretches of whitewater hold stories of triumph or tragedy and help explain throughout rafting and kayaking circles the characteristics that support their reputation. The Salmon river system in Idaho has a myriad of runs, from the famous (permitted) Middle Fork and Main, to the "Day Stretch" outside of Stanley, or, the "Lower" below White Bird, Idaho. But one run that doesn't get a lot of press is the South Fork of the Salmon--and for good reason--it's got a reputation.
When a river has class V rapids, has claimed numerous lives, and at high flows seeks the attention of professional boaters, it's character is called into question by mere mortals and it becomes one of those rivers for those who enjoy high water, high consequence, whitewater. For me, this reputation intimidated me for many years and while I wanted to experience the beauty of this river first hand, it's kayaking and rafting history kept me at bay. Finally, after learning that there was a trail down most of the river and that most of the difficult rapids could be portaged, a group of five kayaking friends and one rafter set out in early July to give the South Fork Salmon a try.
I've heard stories of people getting worked by the rapids on the South Fork Salmon--getting thrown from their catarafts, getting stuck in holes so long that their friends had time to hike back upstream to find out what had gone wrong. There are stories of tragedy too when acquaintances have died on this run. For me, not being a big water kayaker, the choice to wait until the river was more manageable was an easy one--I didn't want anything to do with the big water reputation.
Our crew put in with the river at 2.5' on the Krassel gauge and used Mi'chelle's All River Shuttles to get our vehicles to Carey Creek boat ramp on the Main. A spike in temps was taking hold over the mountains for the first time of the year after a long and wet Spring. Like the other stretches of whitewater on the Salmon rivers, the South Fork has pool drop rapids, but, the rapids are longer and more technical before reaching the placid pools below. From the start of the trip, enjoyable class II, III, and IV whitewater got us warmed up as we cruised and carved our way reading and running until Devil's Slide.
After scouting, we chose to run the right side of Devil's slide with everyone coming through clean after dropping through a few slots, punching waves and holes. The relief after running the first big rapid was palpable and we all started to feel like the South Fork at 2.5' was something we could not only accomplish--but enjoy. We ran a few more miles of river before finding a beautiful sandy beach where we set up camp for the night. After a few beers, our creativity came up with the game, "Human Tests of Skill and Strength." Between shot-putting the unusually spherical stones that were laying all around and pitching smaller stones to knock a larger stone off a stick, we all thought we were hilarious and enjoyed the time acting younger than we are.
Day two of our trip was a meat and tater's kind of day. From the start, the horizon lines and boulders sticking out of the water sent us to shore to scout. Surprise was the wake up call before getting into the likes of Elk Creek, Greyhound, and of course, Falls Creek. Thankfully, the sun shone, the water was gin clear, and our skills were up to snuff so that we all made it through every rapid without an upset, pin, or worse. As expected, the rapids were all technical at the 2.5' level, there were some big holes to avoid, but most our rockered boats punched through. There were definitely class V consequences in some of the rapids like Falls Creek, but, the reputation of the South Fork made popular by the big water runs wasn't the vibe on the river. By taking our time, studying the lines, and enjoying the adventure of running a new river, we all had an amazing trip.
The South Fork of the Salmon river here in Idaho is currently threatened by proposed mines upstream of this amazing kayaking and rafting run. If you'd like to learn more about the threats to the fishery, recreation, and the indigenous history of this amazing river, please visit these sites:
