Sandy
2. Lolo Pass Road (Zigzag) to Marmot Dam site
| Difficulty | II-III |
| Length | 13.9 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 70 fpm |
| Gauge | Sandy River Near Marmot, or |
| Flow Rate as of 1 hour | 639 cfsbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | January 9, 2026 |
Projects
The removal of Marmot Dam on the Sandy River was completed in 2007, restoring the river to a free-flowing state. American Whitewater continues to advocate for projects that enhance public enjoyment of the river through ongoing conservation efforts and established public access. The Sandy River Gorge has the feel [...]Read More
River Description
The section from Lolo Pass to Marmot (Sleepy Hollow Bridge) is boulder filled and changes year to year. It is mostly class II with some class III areas at regular flows. The run becomes fun class III-IV at high flows, but wood is sometimes present . At very high water (rocks heard rolling along the bottom) the confluence with the Salmon gets turbulent and the rest of the run is a flush down the middle with large waves and some holes that can sneak up on you. Rescue can be difficult.
The most distinct rapid are the class IV- Alder Creek Rapids, near an A-framed house on the left. Scout this rapid from the bedrock on the right. From here to the old Marmot Dam site is class II-III with a sneaky hole at the end of a long straight away a mile or so below Alder Creek.
River Features
Put In
Take Out
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportWe paddled the section from Lolo Pass to Brightwood today at around 3,700 cfs. This was a nice flow, with many features to find. There were no holes or waves too big to try and punch through or boof over, and no wood to report. We put in on Clear Creek, and paddled the last 3/4 mi into the Sandy to start off. This creek had no wood issues on the section we ran (upstream that is not the case). Clear creek had a class III feel and was a nice way to start the day, I'd personally want to use this as the put in for this run whenever it had enough water.