Salmon River, Middle Fork - Boundary Creek to Cache Bar

This is the first opportunity to take out when running the middle fork.  You can also bypass Cramer Creek Rapid by taking out here.  This is not a paved ramp but dirt.

This is a paved very busy ramp.

The trip gets started off with a stretch of class III.  Run down the center or towards the right if it is higher water.  May be a tight squeeze in lower water.

The river makes a sharp left turn and there is a large rock that forms a hole here.  Stay wide right and try and sneek the hole on river right.  At lower water this hole becomes tamer.

Run just left of center watching for rocks.  Avoid getting pinballed off of river left wall at higher water.

A half mile of class III that you'll need to thread back and forth to avoid holes and rocks

Pick your line from the scout.  Look for a line on the left, especially at higher water.  You may want to consider leaving a person or 2 at the scout to setup a safety with some throw bags (just in case)

Spike creek enters from the left and forms an eddy.  There is a scouting trail here.

Chute 1 - Left of Center

Chute 2 - Right of large rock and pull left

Right of center

This rapid passes an old waterweel and cabin on river right.  Look at running left of center

Harder at high water.  At lower water watch out for some sharp rocks in this rapid.  Watch where the river current pushes into the right bank at the bottom of this rapid.

Watch for wood and other wrapping and entrapment hazards in this area.

If you are floating through this is a standard read and run class II rapid.  If you are camped here, kayakers can get some surf time in based off of water levels.

read and run

This rapid starts the beginning of about a mile to 2 mile section of class II to III water.

Read and run

The river bank protrudes with a bar into the river on river right and can create a hole here.

read and run

This rapid gets tricky at low water since you need to pick a line cleanly through.  High water just enjoy the ride

Scout from the left bank above the rapid

Again tougher in low water with all the rock dodging.  Look at running just left of center.

Read and run

Follow the waver train

Read and run

A clean wave train below the rapid river outlet

read and run

This rapid was formed by a landslide and contains a hole/ledge at most water levels.

Right below a debree fan on the river right is this rapid.  Look at running towards the left bank and channel.

You can scout from the debris fan if you wish

This rapid is formed on an S curve in the river.  Try to run through the S as straight as possible avoiding the wall and rocks.

Scout from the Lake Creek debris fan and walk down.

A small rapid here but has good kayak surfing.

A small wavetrain exists here at lower to medium level flows

Read and run

At low water this stretch is rocky and technical.  At high water run down the right side.

Read and run

At low water this is a very shallow area.

Read and run

A good sized hole develops here between 3 and 4.5 feet.  Steer clear of it unless you like flipping or dumptrucking your boats.

Scout above the rapid on the left.

A funnel section in the river.  At high water this can become a nasty hole.

A Class III rapid.  Run left of center.

Scout river right

Run toward the left

read and run

A smaller rapid but has fun spots for kayakers to surf and endo at certain water levels

Read and run

A rocky Class II rapid

read and run

Run left.  Also look for a nice waterfall on river right before the rapid

Read and run

Rocky at low water otherwise easy

Read and run

An easy rapid.  Good surf wave for kayakers at higher flows

Read and run

Read and run right of center

An excellent kayak surf wave forms here between 2 to 4 feet.  This section of river has it all.  Camping, Hot Springs and Surfing.

A read and run rapid.  Good kayaking surfing here at medium flow levels

A small drop exists here and is straight forward to run

Read and run

Definitely scout this.  Enter right and pull towards center as you work through the rapid.

Scout from either bank.  The right bank may be the best choice.

This rapid was altered in 2008 from debris and flooded out Tappan II (which no longer exists).  Look at running left and scout this one.

Scout from the right bank.

This is the last rapid in the Tappan series.  It's a read and run class II

Read and run

A straight forward rapid.  This was also the proposed site of a dam.

Read and run

Lots of rocks and debris from sidecreek blowouts make this rapid tricky at low water and hole'y at high water.  This rapid has been the scene of several accidents over the years so use caution.

Scout from below the air strip if you wish.

Another class III rapid that follows immediately after Haystack.  Very rocky here, especially at low water.

The Jack Creek rapids consist of several rapid sections.  The first encounter is earthquake rock where a large rock fell into the river when the Mount Borah earthquake happened in the 80's.  This is followed by Jack creek as the river continues to bend.

Scout from right bank anywhere you want

A class II and decent Kayak play here.

Read and run

Watch for a few boulders around the river in this section

Read and run

Another wave train rapid

Read and run

There is an S Curve in the river here and boats can get thrown into the upper right hand bank or the lower left hand bank if they aren't prepared.

Read and run

A small rapid.  Watch for the Kimmel Creek Waterfall on river left.

Read and run

Read and run

Harder at higher water.

Read and run

A rocky rapid at lower water

Read and run

This rapid is tougher at high water and has some decent kayak surfing and playspots here.

Read and run

Read and run

Waves at higher flows and run leftish at lower flows.

Read and run

Run right and start pulling left to prevent contact with the right hand cliffs

Read and run

Mainly a single wave drop but is one of the better surf spots on the MFS

Read and run

This is a bigger rapid on the MFS and changes at different water levels.  Avoid the main hole drop and start your pull to the left.

Scout from the redside camp on river left above the rapid

Watch for a large hole in the center of this run.  This is another rapid to take seriously.

River left.

A minor rapid below the falls.

Read and run

A nice surf area here with good eddy access.

Read and run

Read and run

Current and rapids form on river left.  Stay off the wall and pull to the right through this rapid.

Read and run

Run left as the current pushes towards the right bank.  Watch for boulders and holes at all water levels.

Read and run

Run down center.  This is one of the middle forks biggest rapids and should be scouted.  Watch for holes and rocks.

Scout from the right or left bank.

This is a long rapid and can have huge waves at high water.

Scout from the left bank.

A changing rapid at different water levels.

Read and run.

House Rock (after which the rapid is named) is on the right.  Run left.

Read and run

A large boulder is in the center of the river here.

Read and run

Read and run

More large boulders stud the river in this section.

Read and run

Read and run

This is one of the biggest rapids on all of the Salmon and it's forks.  Cramer has a big drop with a sizable hole.

Scout from the road on the right bank.

On river right.  Good camp for kayak surfing.

A camp on a bench above the river.  Hot springs here.  Not a bad setup.

On river right, just pass Elkhorn Creek outlet.

A camp on a bench above the river on river left

Smaller camp on river right located on a bench

On river left.

Sandy beach camp on river left

A nice large camp near hot springs

Look for a large tree on the left bank just above a small island.  Land immediately after the tree.

River right bank across from the small Lake Creek stream outlet.  Beach is rockier but campable.

A long pebble ridden sandbar on river right.

River right just above the greyhound class II rapids

On river left just below the greyhound rapids

On river right just below the outlet of Rapid River.  At faster flows the outlet bar of rapid river has a tendency to push you right past the landing area.  

The river makes a small jut and peninsula.  Big Snag is on river left at the tip of this small peninsula.  Descent sand bar and bench for camping.

On river right

On river left just above the Pistol Creek outlet is the Pistol Creek Camp.  This area was burned badly in 2000.

On river left near the landing strip

On river left where Indian Creek meets the middle fork.

On river left.  Camp below the Pungo Creek in the trees.  Above the creek is off limits to camping.  Remnants of Native American pit houses are in this area and Forest Service regulations forbid camping there.

A beach at low water with a campable bench at high water. 

On river left

River right below Marble creek rapid

Camp is on a bench.  Makes for unloading gear unpleasant.

A small camp near the hot springs on river right

On river right.  Cobble beach

A large football lenght bench on river left can be used for a camp here regardless of the water level.

On river right just below the guard station.

On river left just below a river island

On river right just below Jackass Rapid

On river right

A bench camp.  Hauling gear up to camp from the boats can be a pain here

Small camp on river right.

A camp on the lower bench on river right.  Upper bench is closed to camping due to Native American structure remnants there.  Also nearby this camp is Whitie Cox's grave and hot springs.

Large beach camp on river left.  Some FS camping restrictions here.  Follow the rules and signs.

Large lower bench on river right.  More camping restrictions because of archeological sites on the upper bench.

On river right

A very nice large camp just below the Loon Creek drainage.  If you stay here make sure to hit the hot springs up Loon Creek

On river right

A mid to low water camp right on river right of a hard right hand bend in the river.

A nice beach on river left.

On river right

On river left

On river right.  Good beach, not much shade

A great beach and ponderosa trees on river right

A unique camp on an actual island on the Middle Fork.  Use the right channel or head of the island for access.

Large camp on river right just above the Cama Creek confluence.  

On river left

On river right.  Beach at low water

On river left

On river right

On river right.  Good beach, good shade

On river left.  Another good beach camp

On river right just opposite of the Flying B Ranch

A small hot and shadeless camp on river right.  Right across from the airport strip.

River left below the air strip

River right

River right

River left

A large camp on river right

River right

River left

River left

Large camp on river left

Small camp on river right.

Small camp on river right

A large beach camp on river left.

A small camp on river left just above the confluence of Big Creek and the Middle Fork

River right

River left.

Small to medium camp on river left.

On river right

A very popular large sandy beach camp on river left.

This camp is better at lower water.  River left.

Smaller camp on river left

On river left.

River left.

An exposed camp on river left.

A very nice large camp on river right.

Smaller camp on river left.

On river right.

River right just after the cliffside rapids

River left.

A large popular camp on river right.

River left

On river left.

River right