Salmon (Lake Ontario)

01 April 2024

If you have the weather, enough water, and the time - not a bad way to get in more river mileage. Air temperature 51°F, water temperature 41°F. There's not a lot of whitewater on the section from Altmar to Pineville, but it is beautifully scenic.

A fair amount of fishermen in dories were out, and the guide of one such group, just below the Altmar put in, wasn't hesitant to express his displeasure of our whitewater boating presence on the river. Normally, folks fishing on the Salmon are pretty cordial and make brief, polite conversation with you. This was the first time hearing someone gripe directly at us.

There are two main places where the river splits into channels, one above Pineville and one below. Best bet for both is to stay in the main channel or river right. Below the Pineville split we went left to explore, which lead us to portage around accumulated wood.

The true whitewater on this section is below the Pineville put in. Shoals and small ledges make some fun, splashy rapids you can surf or punch through. The rapids are Class II/III- (depending on level) but they're straightforward and not too technical.

The Altmar to Trash Compactor section is about 7 miles. We continued through Pulaski, and at the Black Hole takeout we ran into a flotilla from a college outing group. At the treatment plant, we chatted a bit with a friendly Pulaski policeman making his rounds.

Again, the Altmar to Route 2A is not as exciting as the portion that flows through Pulaski, but a great run for new whitewater boaters or others who enjoy being on the river.