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Kayaking Middle Fork of Salmon in August / September

5K views 9 replies 8 participants last post by  MaxPower 
#1 ·
I'm considering kayaking the Middle Fork of the Salmon in Idaho with my Dad in August / September as a self support trip. I'm hoping to go this time of year, because I hear it's quieter and the whitewater is more mild. However, I'm concerned that it could be too low and or still too hard for my Dad.

Has anyone kayaked it this time of year? Is it too low to still be fun?

My Dad has kayaked a number of class III/IV rivers on the East Coast such as the Ottawa River, Dryway section of the Deerfield, etc. as well as a few in Colorado such as Frog Rock section of the Arkansas at 5,000 CFS . Are these pretty comparable in difficulty to the MF of the Salmon in August / September?

Thanks for your help!

Christian
 
#3 ·
Lowest I've been down was 2.1' - it will be lower in August/September. It's definitely class III at 2 feet - there's nothing I would consider even close to being class IV. I think he'd have no trouble with it based on the runs you mentioned. No question it will be fun - it's the middle fork it will always be fun.
 
#4 ·
I've been on the Middle Fork multiple times in August at some of the lowest levels imaginable.

Depending upon snow pack and rain over the summer, it's possible / probable that the upper 25 miles, from Boundary Creek to Pistol Creek will be super low and the hardest portion of the trip. To me, this is also the most interesting part of the trip, so I always try to make sure to launch from the top (Boundary Creek) regardless of the flow instead of flying into Indian Creek.

If the commercials are still running sweep rafts off the top, you'll be able to make it down in a self-supported kayak. Four options you might want to consider:

1) You can carry more / get across more shallow water / hop in and out of an inflatable kayak easier than a regular kayak. For self-supported trips, we often have each person paddling a tandem inflatable to allow a much more comfortable trip than what fits in our regular kayaks.

2) You can also lighten the load by going super light up top and flying additional supplies into Indian Creek, Stateland, Loon Creek, or Flying B. Sometimes, if you ask super nice and/or bribe with beer / bourbon / etc, you can get the commercials to add a bag to one of their fly-ins (when the water is low, they fly their guests into Indian Creek and dead-head the rafts from the top).

3) If money is no object, look into renting a cabin / bed at Loon Creek and/or Flying B. Both have showers and will provide a hot supper, hot breakfast, and bag lunch for the next day. You can also do layover days there by paying for 2 nights. It's not cheap, but it allows you to substantially reduce what you need to carry and makes an easier trip for those not use to doing a minimal kayak self-supported trip.

4) If it's just the two of you, take all 8 days that you can get for a small trip. Plan small days up top, especially the first day. When we're running small late season trips, we often try to get Trail Flat hot springs at mile 6.9 as our first camp. Sometimes we only then run down to Sheepeater hot springs at mile 13 for our second camp. And Dolly Lake / Big Snag at mile 19 / 19.1 for our third camp. Technically, you're only allowed one hot springs camp, but when the water is low the rangers move to Indian Creek airstrip, and one can occasionally finesse that rule (particularly if one's trip is one or two people and you share the site). Below Pistol Creek (mile 21.4) the river opens up a bit and you can paddle in a straight line and make more miles (even though the water is slower).

The Middle Fork of the Salmon is, bar none, my favorite river trip. I've run it 40+ times from late April into early September and have always had a great time. It's wilderness, so it can throw surprises at you, but that's part of what makes it unique. I've run everything from a solo self-supported Perception Pirouette to a solo 16 foot paddle raft with my 70 year old Mom and a 100 pound dog off the top, both of those in late August at ultra low flows, so I totally believe you'll be able to run off the top self-supporting in August / September.

Have a great trip!

reinharden
 
#5 ·
C, he should be fine.

load the heavy stuff in your boat and the lighter bulky stuff in his.

I haven't run it that low, but the issues will be minor snags and possible broaches/minor pins.

The detailed write up above was sweet, by the way.

How a TR from 5.5' feet has any relevance is beyond me.

Are you paddling again, or will this be off the couch for you?
 
#9 ·
My point was if he is comfortable in class 4, the low water you'll see in august/september will be no problem. I'd personally take someone comfortable in class 4 down it at high water. Sorry if this seemed irrelevant to you, I was trying to ease a "comfort concern". This was my first multi-day river trip as well and I had a lot of anxiety that was unfounded, even at higher flows. Cheers
 
#7 ·
Is it too much for your old man? Good question. What kind a shape is he in. Is he capable of kayaking 4 to 5 hours a day for 4, 5, or 6 days? Its not a great place to be old and fat, and on your own. Just asking.

Its fun! Its actually a sweet float. You can do it in 4 day 3 nights and still have time to explore. IK heaven!!

His resume makes be believe that there are no issues in the skills area. I have a couple low water trips from dagger down and I'd say class 3+ rock guard start with some wave trains on the way out and class 4 continuances.
 
#8 ·
Awesome! Thanks for the response guys! That was super helpful.

Dave, I haven't officially gotten back into it, but I'm considering it. Unfortunately, my wife decided to go to law school out in Kansas, so right now I'm a long ways from anywhere worth paddling. However, she gave me the go ahead to buy a new kayak when we move back to Denver in the coming months so I'm hoping I'll be able to get out some in the coming years. I hope your doing well! It would be good to catch up sometime soon!
 
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