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Guide to visiting Salmon.

4K views 14 replies 9 participants last post by  FatmanZ 
#1 ·
Visiting salmon Idaho
Groceries
Your main option is going to be Saveway market, open 6:30 until 10pm in the summer but closed on Sunday. They have the best block ice in town and they do have dry ice. In a pinch you can get some groceries at service grocery “kind of scary”, the corner store, shopko hometown and discounts unlimited.
Fishing license
If you want to get a last minute fishing license you can go to fish and game, hwy 93 sports, corner store “open until 11pm I think”, or the village at north fork.
ICE
Is stated above best ice is Saveway, also carry dry ice.
Liquor
There is a liquor store in salmon just off Main Street near the grocery store. Also The village at north fork does carry some liquor.
Canned Beer
The grocery store has a pretty good selection. The corner store has a real good variety as well along with some canned cocktails like bloody mary’s, G&T’s and what not, and the village at north fork has a pretty good variety as well.
Lodging
The most popular seems to be the Stagecoach Inn by a long shot. Next I would say the super 8 then maybe the bear country in. These are all close to down town and the river. There are some less traditional routes that you can take. The syringe lodge is very popular and books up pretty fast. Other less traditional route would be J&J cabins out 28 a mile or two and the 12 mile cabins south of town about 12 miles. I have very little personal experience with most of these places as I live here
Breakfast
Bertrams brewery is a pretty good breakfast spot, other options that are more like a diner are buddy’s and the red dog dinner which is pretty small if you have a large group.
The pork peddler does a brunch that starts at 9am and is pretty popular with outdoor seating.
Lunch and dinner
My personal favorite place to eat in town is the junkyard bistro. The bistro is open until 11pm and has outdoor seating.
Bertrams brewery is also very good with large servings. It can be pretty busy and be kind of slow sometimes. If you like a monte cristo this place is for you.
The pork peddler is nice little BBQ place that has a lot of outdoor seating. As far as a place that has that river community feel to it, this is it.
Salmon has a couple of good pizza places. We go to last chance or Dave’s pizza. I would say last chance has better topping but can be a little bit greasier.
For the love of food is a newer place to eat, and I have only been there a few times. I have not had a bad experience but have a hard time breaking away from the bistro or Bertrams. They do have a little bit broader menu and have a bit of everything.
If you want a burger and fries and shake or other quick diner/ grill food I highly recommend the savage grill.
Some people like the shady nook but I think it’s over priced for what it is. It was pretty good 6 years ago when I moved here but feel the quality has declined.
If you liked the Mexican food place on the river, I have bad news for you. It closed and is just an empty building now.
Last minute rafting gear
Surprisingly you are somewhat limited here. The Salmon River fly box does carry some dry bags cam straps and smaller accessories. They are also a wealth of knowledge for fishing in the area. Murdochs, ace hardware and hwy 93 sports does have a few life jackets and dry bags. It has been a while since I have been in Blackadar boating but they did have a few bigger raft accessories last time I was in there.
If you need some river clothing I would look at Arfmanns 4 seasons and The village at north fork. The village at north fork also has some footwear and random river gear.
Other stuff to do
If you have a few extra days in town we have a great day stretch down river. Put in at spring creek take out at cove creek. Also we have some great mountain biking in the area and you can rent a bike from the HUB. Their website has a link to the trails in the area. There are several high mountain lakes, hiking, and camping opportunities.

I'm sure I missed something.
 
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#2 ·
My kids play hockey, and we visit Salmon's awesome outdoor rink 1-2x every winter.

We like the Stagecoach as they definitely put up well with rambunctious HS hockey girls. How is the Syringa? We may have to check that out.

I also really, really like the Junkyard Bistro. I highly recommend it. Good dive/gastropub/fusion food.

Soaking at Goldbug (summer) or Sharkey (winter) are also a must.
 
#3 ·
We like the Stagecoach as they definitely put up well with rambunctious HS hockey girls. How is the Syringa? We may have to check that out.

.
I have no personal experience with the Syringa but have spoke with several people who love it. I work at the hospital here and we have a few traveling doctors that come in and they almost always stay there.
 
#4 ·
Thanks Cody. This is very useful information. We usually ended up at the Mexican restaurant. I didn't think the food was that good, although the deck overlooking the river was nice when it wasn't windy. Tried Bertrams, but as you mentioned, it was way slow. I am looking forward to trying some new places when I am there.
 
#5 ·
Two Ps - Propane and Pizza

Thanks Cody - good information. How about propane? We had trouble finding it a few years ago. The fill person was gone for a few hours at the first place we stopped and the second place we tried had just run out. We finally gave up - decided to do a limited fuel trip - but then found it at North Fork.

On the food side, how about Pizza? Any recommendations?
 
#7 ·
Thanks Cody - good information. How about propane? We had trouble finding it a few years ago. The fill person was gone for a few hours at the first place we stopped and the second place we tried had just run out. We finally gave up - decided to do a limited fuel trip - but then found it at North Fork.

On the food side, how about Pizza? Any recommendations?
Propane can be tricky here as well. i'm glad you brought that up. I would strongly advise you to fill your propane before you leave home. If you need to fill here you have two options for the most part. You can fill at the Gas station with the red dog diner attached or at buddy's gas station.. As you mentioned they dont always have the staff or the trained personnel to fill tanks.. There are places that do the tank exchange as an option like the grocery store and family dollar.


As for the pizza, we have 2 pizza places that are pretty good. I usually go to daves pizza that is right on main street now. It used to be out 28 towards Idaho falls. they also do fried chicken.
the second option is last chance pizza. they also have good food and good pizza. their pizza can be a bit on the greasy side for me. But it is a personal preference.
 
#6 ·
A strong Hell Yeah to The Junkyard Bistro. Decent prices, quick and some good gluten free options and I really liked the food. The Brewery is tasty and slower than paint drying. Took us almost two hours one evening for 10 people to eat.

Won't ever eat again at the Mex place on the corner. Most expensive mexican I have ever had and it was not awesome.

I will give a shout out to Murdochs Farm and Ranch supply. A couple of years ago I found out one of my daughters hadn't packed her spray gear. This was revealed on the way to Corn Creek in a hard driving rain that was bordering on snow at about six pm. We zipped around Salmon looking for anything that might work. Someone recommended Murdochs and we arrived at 7:05 pm, five minutes after close. A couple of the staff let us in, we went and found some too big for an 11 yr old frog togs for cheap and I was so very thankful to have them.

Of course by the end of the trip it was 95F, hot and dusty but that first night and day was saved.
 
#8 ·
I have to add one more place to the breakfast options after this last weekend.. Salmon is finally coming around and allowing food trucks to operate in city limits. Starting this Sunday, and should be most Sundays the mad flatter will be set up in salmon. They will usually be set up at the stagecoach parking lot or the mountain west reality. They serve really good breakfast burritos on an African flatbread. They used to be in Casper, Wyoming before moving to salmon. This wont be an option for most but if you are in town on a Sunday morning you might give them a try.
 
#9 ·
Oddfellows Bakery on Main Street has incredible breads, sandwiches and pastries. They're not just good by Salmon standards, but would compete with a really great bakery anywhere. Craig, the owner, is a super guy and a boater. They also have the best coffee in Salmon. If you call in advance you can order all the bread for your river trip and get really good bread. Open Mon-Sat.
 
#10 ·
Great call on oddfellows bakery, it's right on main street you cant miss it... Their 80 mile bread is amazing and get there early or call and reserve your bread because the good stuff does go fast. They are also huge supporters of the boating community.

On the subject of coffee.. another good place for coffee is rise and shine. it's north on daisy street, a block off of the main drag.. Bright yellow building, they also do quick burritos and stuff if your in a hurry.

I will try and bring this thread or a new similar thread up every spring to help people out.. It will be nice to kinda condense all this information.. Salmon is a great little town you just need to know where to look.
 
#15 ·
Water: Wagon Hammer Springs - a mile or two before North Fork. Good cold spring water and restrooms as well. Nothing like grabbing some cold fresh water on the way to or back from a trip.

Gear: What's the name of the place on the corner across from Stage Coach with the big wooden sweep boat out front? They sell and rent gear, decent selection for a small shop. I rented a PFD from them for a weekend when we found ourselves one short.

Farmer's Market: Is Salmon still holding the farmers markets on Saturdays?

Bertrams: As others have said, good food but super slow service. It doesn't seem to matter how big or small the group size is, they're slower than slow. Savage Grill has better and less expensive burgers than Bertrams, and quicker service.

Next Up: The Ultimate Traveler's Guide to Challis.
 
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