Salmon

Fun Class II/III run at this flow in our kayaks. We put in below the dam in time to see some commercial rafting carnage from the rapid above. There is a small wooden outhouse on river left (by the road) that marks the entrance to Piece of Cake. There was a wave train down the middle with a hole at the bottom center left. It was easy to see and avoid on the left or right. Class 1 easy Class II continues under a bridge that accesses a campground on the right. After a long flat stretch and a couple bends in the river the entrance to 'The Narrows' is pretty clear. As the name implies the canyon narrows significantly. The waves get bigger as you get further in. The center was clean, we noticed at least on big hole on river right about halfway through the rapid. Otherwise it was big fun Class III waves. We continued to Torrey's. It was a beautiful float with some great lunch spots with tables and outhouses on both sides of the river. I'm assuming these were set up by commercial rafting companines but seemed available for public use?

This stretch is not even close to class IV... the narrows has a couple of holes but other than that it is mellow

Sunbeam Dam on the Salmon River was bought by the state of Idaho early in this centur. The adjacent bank was blasted out in the mid-1930's to provide fish passage for salmon and steelhead. Now, nearly a century later, the state lacks the initiative to protect these amazing fish runs by advocating dam removal and fish passage. Sunbeam dam also creates a fun rapid! The river upstream of Sunbeam Dam was once drowned by a reservoir until the state of Idaho blasted the bank next to the dam to provide fish passage. Now, the river provides a great class III paddling trip.

Memorial Day Weekend 2006

Memorial Day weekend