Middle Fork of the Salmon

This may sound like a stupid question and it's not exactly about building a boat but I have no experience on this so I'm going to ask. It is a wooden boat forum and wooden boats belong on rivers.

Have any of you out there run the Middle Fork of the Salmon in a wooden dory? A friend has a trip in late August. I would like to go but don't have a raft. I have never seen this river but have heard of it's beauty. I am a reasonably skilled person at the oars of a dory but, since I don't know this river I am asking people here for their comments. While I love a challenge on the water I am not a thrill seeker. If it's runnable I can give it a shot but if it's above my ability I have no problem admitting so. I thought I would through the question out here since so many posters are from the area. I don't mind smacking the boat around but safety first for those in the boat.

One day I will do this river but it may not be in a wooden boat. Would any of you do this trip in August?

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Permalink Reply by David Jensen on July 21, 2009 at 10:01pm
Well, I can't directly answer your question, but I can say it is very difficult. I am not going over there this year, so do not know the prognosis for water level. Historically, August is very tough, especially at the top. I've always run it in a wood boat, or soft raft, but there are relatively few wood boats there. I think they handle better, but rock crashes really can happen. I wouldn't do it unless you are damn confident. You can rent a raft for your first trip.
Permalink Reply by Rick Newman on July 22, 2009 at 9:56am
After years of guiding on the Lower Main Salmon a group of us worked up the courage to do the Middle Fork. My passengers were in their sixties at this time. I was in an Avon Pro that wasn't self bailing. So my passengers had to keep the raft free of excess water as we were loaded with the amount of gear and beverages we would take on a lower Main Salmon trip, in other words, already quite heavy. My hands never left the oars because I was always quite busy rowing away from rocks and threading rock gardens and spinning around rocks. My passengers didn't see all of the beautiful scenery because they were busy bailing.

As we approached another rapid, there are more than one hundred that require maneuvering, they could tell the potential severity of the upcoming obstacle by the severity of the obscenity that passed my lips.

Was it a great time? Yes, one of the best trips I have ever done! Would I go back? Yes! Would I do it differently? Yes!

My loads would be much lighter, I would probably use a self bailing raft or pontoon because I don't boat technical water enough to get my skills back to the point they were when I boat sixty to eighty days a year.

The Helfrich's and other do run wooden drift boats down the Middle Fork quite successfully. They are also accompanied by support rafts to carry the heavy gear. When I asked other guides how they missed all the rocks with these big support craft they said they didn't!

An August launch would require a flight into I believe Indian Creek as the river is too low to travel from the main launch which if I remember right is Boundary Creek. So you might want to do some further research on river flows and lok over the books on the Middle Fork, it rapids and history.

Can you do the trip? Yes. Should you be prepared for the conditions and the situations, yes! By the way it is probably still a permit only river so you need to visit Forest service web sites to get the low down on the current process.

If you would like some ideas of some other rivers in Idaho and Oregon to run contact me here.

I wish you the best in you adventures. Idaho rivers are great places to spend your life!

Rick Newman
Permalink Reply by Rick Newman on July 22, 2009 at 10:04am
Larry here is the link to the lotteries for the main Idaho rivers: http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/sc/recreation/4rivers/

Rick Newman
Permalink Reply by E. Landis on July 22, 2009 at 4:05pm
I have been down the Middle Fork in a raft. We did the Middle Fork and Main all in one great trip last summer. My permit was middle of July. The river gets really boney late in the season. I would not advise running it in a wooden boat in late August. Rafts maybe...but even then the water level could be a problem in late August. You might have to fly into a strip part way into the float. There are plenty of air services in McCall. Best to call the branch office of the forest service and talk to a river ranger.

E. Landis.
Permalink Reply by Mark McDevitt on July 23, 2009 at 3:02pm
While I cannot speak from experience running the Middle Fork in a wooden boat I know for a fact that it was done several times. My father and a few guys from Eastern Idaho all purchased new framed dories from various builders in the NW in the late 60's. Before most of these gentlemen had wives or kids to worry about they would run the Middle Fork every year. These men all ranged from very experienced to "wet behind the ears" in terms of white-water rowing skills. Several went on to run the Grand, and other famous waters in wooden boats.

As stated earlier, August is a sketchy time of year as water levels will be lower and more hazards apparent in certain rapids. Take your time researching and getting a good guide if you choose to take your wooden boat.

I remember a photo from my childhood of a college of my father's, standing above my father's boat (borrowed) smiling about a dinner plate sized hole in the starbird bow from a Middle Fork Rock. The caption read... "What rock?"
Permalink Reply by Mike Dearing on July 24, 2009 at 7:40am
Larry,

Shoot Herb Jacobsen a PM on this board, he'll give you all the info you need to know about this river. IMO, August is too late for a run in a wood boat.

Mike
Permalink Reply by lhedrick on July 24, 2009 at 8:11am
Thanks everyone,

The comments are all saying the same thing. Sounds like a tough river even with a good flow. Looks like I will go on the trip and leave the dory at home for the next trip. It will be good to see for my self and learn. As it is I am still having a bit of trouble with my wrist which I sprained on a Grand Canyon trip back in may.

L
Permalink Reply by Jim Rubino on August 2, 2009 at 7:12am
Hey Larry, nice job on the new craft, it's a beauty. I've been down the middle fork 6 or 7 times at flow ranging from 2.0 to 6.1 on the guage. Your august flows will be at the low end and definitely not doable in a wood boat unless you'd been down it many, many times. The more technical stuff is in the first 8 miles and you'd be damn unhappy with a wood hull at anything under 4.0 on the guage. Rent a raft, relax, enjoy the scenery and a cold brew your first trip and wait for an invite during the middle of June for your wood boats.
And you can get reasonable rentals from Blackadar in Salmon, ID

talk soon, Jim
Permalink Reply by Herb Jacobsen on August 4, 2009 at 12:51pm
If you look at my pictures, you will see a shot of "snow hole" in August in low water. Nothing but rocks. You can run from the top but you have to know the trails and have to have no weight in the boat. We dead headed to Indian Creek a bunch of times in low water. You can do it in a long day. Again not a lot of fun. It actually is not too hard on the boats as you are in relatively slow water most of the way. Nothing like June or July.

Definitely go if you have the chance. Not too many people get the chance. If you have questions drop me a line and I will be happy to reply. I just got back from AK or I would have written sooner.

Herb
Permalink Reply by Dan Norris on August 17, 2009 at 5:29pm
I've run Hell's Canyon the gates of Lodore on the green, and the main Salmon from Corn Creek to Riggins in my drift boat. I've also run the Middle Fork about twenty times. In Fact I may see you on the river we are launching on the 26th.

With water at 2.5 to 4 feet on the middle Fork Lodge gauge, the Middle Fork is a challenging, but safe adventure in a drift boat. The Middle Fork is running just below 2 feet at this time. I would not attempt a drift boat trip at that flow. We are taking empty rubber boats from Boundary, and flying passengers and gear in to the Indian Creek air strip because the flow is so low that you will need to drag boats an d bounce off rocks.
Permalink Reply by Mike Dearing on August 17, 2009 at 8:01pm
Dan,

20 times down the middle fork? Wanna be my new best friend?

Seriously, if you ever need an extra body to fill out a trip permit let me know I'd be all over it, I have all the gear, experience and boats needed for multi day trips. I'd be willing to trade for an Illinois or Rogue trip?

Mike
Permalink Reply by David Jensen on August 17, 2009 at 8:50pm
Mike, I replied to your post 7/21. I am interested in your reply today about trading a Middle Fork trip with an Illinois or Rogue trip. Did you do the Illinois in a wood boat? We did, about 25 years ago, and ran everything except the very last of the Green Wall. We pulled in on the left, just before the drop. Then took the gear, seats, line decks out of the boats to portage them 100' over huge rocks, and put them back together and floated out. The portage took about 5 hours for 4 boats. I assumed no one else was stupid enough to do this in a drift boat! It was a great trip, all boats made it, but we never returned. If you did the Illinois in a drift boat, tell me more.

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