Cottonwood Field Office Recreation Sites / Idaho BLM Rivers

Lower Salmon River

Welcome to the Lower Salmon River Website! People have been here for thousands of years. The first human inhabitants of the Lower Salmon River canyon were Native Americans who lived in the canyon 11,400 years ago. Fish from the Salmon River made up half the diet of the Nez Perce. Early explorers dubbed it the “River of No Return” after navigating its rapids. The dynamic Salmon River and the people it nourishes are very special.

You affect this river canyon when you pass through. River users come to the Lower Salmon for many reasons, but none of them come expecting to find beaches scarred with fire rings or fouled with human waste or litter. This river cannot survive you if you don’t work hard to protect it. Passing through without a trace is a challenge. You can care for the river for many more years. Here's how:

Boaters Guide Maps:  Vinegar Creek to Hammer Creek 
Overview Map:  Vinegar Creek to Hammer Creek

Boaters Guide Maps:  Hammer Creek to Heller Bar 
Overview Map:  Hammer Creek to Heller Bar

Boating Regulations

• Beginning July 1, 2011, you will need to display the Discover Pass on your vehicle when visiting state recreation lands managed by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.  This includes the use of Heller Bar.  For more information, call the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife at (866) 320-9933 and visit the following website:  http://discoverpass.wa.gov/
• Boats registered in Idaho or another state, and any non-motorized vessel (canoe, kayak, raft, drift boat, etc.) will be required to purchase and display IISF stickers in order to legally launch and operate in Idaho. The Idaho Invasive Species Law and Boater Registration
• Self-Issue permits are required for private groups from Hammer Creek to the Snake River for all overnight trips year-round AND all day trips from July 1 through Labor Day; permits are available at Hammer Creek and Graves Creek river kiosks.
• There are no permits required or group size limts from Vinegar Creek to Hammer Creek for private boaters.
• Permits are required for commercial use, competitive use, special area use and organized group activity and event use
• An approved portable toilet carryout system is required. Firepans / Portable Toilets
• Firepans are required for all open fires and charcoal.
• All trash, human waste, ashes and charcoal must be packed out.

River Ethics

• Urinate only in wet sand or in the river.
• Remove rocks after using them on the beaches.
• Strain wastewater in vegetation above the high water line.
• Clear the boat ramp as quickly as possible as a courtesy to others. Boat ramps are for loading and unloading only.

Please Note:  Check the Salmon River Road construction website for schedule updates and closure information.

The 425-mile waterway is one of the longest free-flowing river in the lower 48 states. The river begins at not much more than a trickle at an elevation of about 8,000 feet in the Sawtooth and Whitecloud Mountains of central Idaho. It gathers force as it makes its way northeast and then west, fed by snows from the Sawtooth and Salmon River Mountains in the south and the Clearwater and Bitterroot Mountains in the north.

About 150 miles further on its westward course, the Salmon River has carved the second deepest canyon in North America, which effectively splits Idaho in half. The section known as the Lower Salmon River begins at Vinegar Creek, 25 miles above the town of Riggins. At Riggins, the river swings north and then west for 87 miles where it then meets the Snake River. The Salmon and Snake combine to flow into the Columbia River and eventually into the ocean. The drainage area of the Salmon River, which lies entirely within Idaho's borders, encompasses approximately 13,550 square miles.

The river and its canyon are truly remarkable. The numerous and unusual white sand beaches are a reminder that this river is still free flowing. Respect the river, listen to it, learn from it, cooperate with it and care for it.

Attention Salmon and Snake River Users:  
Bridge Replacement Between Heller Bar Boat Ramp and Asotin, WA May Cause Traffic Delays.  Asotin County, WA has begun work to replace a bridge near 10 Mile Creek, 4.6 miles south of Asotin, along the Snake River Road. Traffic may be delayed for up to two hours.  For more information, please contact Craig Miller, Asotin County project lead, at 509-243-2074.

NEW: Discover Pass Parking Permits Now Required at Heller Bar

Links

More Cottonwood Field Office Recreation Sites

USGS Lower Salmon River Gauge - Whitebird 

Idaho Outfitters and Guides Licensing Board (IOGLB)

• Licensing Board 
• List of Legal Outfitters on the Lower Salmon River
• Poster on Illegal Outfitting

NRCS Idaho Snowpack Report 

Northwest River Forecast Center 

Idaho Department of Fish and Game 

ITD Road Report 

National Wild and Scenic Rivers 

Main Salmon River Information Forest Service