Salmon, North Fork

The Idlewild Run on the NF Salmon River is an easily accessed class III/IV run through a beautiful canyon. The run is technical pool-drop at lower flows, has surf, play, and sections that offer long, continuous whitewater at medium and high flows. Because it is higher up in the Salmon River system, this run is often a good option when downstream sections are high. It is suited for all whitewater craft but rafts will want a solid medium flow at minumum (above 4,500 cfs at Somes Bar). Sawyers Bar Road parallels the run but is almost always out-of-sight.

The run starts somewhat slowly below Idlewild Campground where the gradient is low and river flows are less than they will be just a short ways downstream. A couple rapids add some character below the Sawyers Bar Road bridge. Be alert when the river makes its first left bend because wood sometimes piles up on the outside of the bend, narrowing the usable channel significantly. Sometimes there's no wood, sometimes there's a logjam, so keep your eyes open here.

North Russian Creek soon joins on river left and river flows get a good boost here. Watch for the island just downstream. In recent years (2023), the right channel has been clogged with wood and sometimes cables, so consider going left at the island but don't automatically assume it is clean either.

The pace of the run is always faster for the section below the White's Gulch bridge about halfway through the run. The gradient picks up and Whites Gulch gives another significant boost to flows. The pace continues to the upriver end of Sawyers Bar then the gradient slackens as the river cruises by the backside of this historic Gold Rush era town that now gives little indicator of its prominent role in the mining days. Whitewater continues all the way to the take-out on the downriver end of town. Scout the take-out before paddling so you don't paddle past it.

Flows

The flows on this run don't always correlate well to th

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