Fall is a sweet time to visit the Middle Fork Salmon River - and other Idaho rivers

Steve and Wendy at a big wall of Native American pictographs on the Middle Fork. 

Hi all, 

Take a long look at the lovely Middle Fork of the Salmon River, and the beauty is so profound, it takes my breath away.

It's gin-clear, giving the sense that you're floating in a glass-bottomed boat, and in deeper spots, the Middle Fork takes on this turquoise blue-green hue that darkens with deepness. I just love looking into those deep, dark pools and marvel at the beauty. It's fun to look for schools of native west-slope cutthroat trout or big bull trout in those pools, too. 

I had the privilege of floating the Middle Fork with a small group of eight people last week, and it renewed my soul, as it always does. We decided to fly our gear into Indian Creek, 25 miles downriver from the official launch point at Boundary Creek, so we could enjoy a leisurely pace and take eight days of wilderness bliss for a quality vacation off-the-grid and away from all of the bizarre weirdness that 2020 has become. 

Dan and Kelly and all of our group will fit into this plane on the flight into Indian Creek.

Floating the Middle Fork in the fall -- after the official control season ends after Labor Day weekend -- is something that a lot of Idaho locals do because it's easier to get a permit at that time of year. My longtime friend Jeff Beaman had snagged the permit earlier in the year. We had six good friends from Boise on the trip, and a super fun couple from L.A. who had done the Selway River with Beaman a few years ago. 

We brought four rafts so we had two people on each boat, plus my pointer Huck. 

My first trip on the Middle Fork was in June 1987, 33 years ago, a higher-water trip that started with snow falling at the put-in, freezing temperatures, then steady rain, followed by 7 days of sunny blissful weather. The Middle Fork cast a spell on me that has lasted a lifetime.     

Ben Nydegger and Kelly in Marble Creek Rapids

The river pours out of the wilderness headwaters in Central Idaho, and it flows for 100 miles to the Main Salmon River. There are natural hot springs to enjoy nearly every day, countless side-hikes to explore, historic sites, Native American pictographs, Veil Cave, Parrott's Grotto, the Impassible Canyon, fun times with friends, Dutch oven dinners, fantastic, consistent trout-fishing, tons of rapids to negotiate and rocks to dodge, and occasionally, a long stretch of calm water when you can put the oars under your knees and stare up at the vertical mountains and canyons to look for bighorn sheep, elk, deer or birds of prey and marvel at the beauty. 

Even though the Middle Fork is close to home, being situated inside the 2.3-million-acre Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness, I feel that I'm as far away from civilization as I might feel if I'm on a vacation in Baja or Hawaii. After working nose-to-the-grindstone since last January, my oh my was I ready for a quality break! 

The scene at Indian Creek launch point. A little smoky. We didn't see anyone for 5-6 days.

We flew our people and gear into Indian Creek with Gem Air a day before our official launch date, so we actually had nine days of vacation on the Middle Fork. It felt really long, and I felt that we had pretty much soaked up the Middle Fork for all it's worth. Most groups take only 6 or 7 days, for comparison. 

I recommend staying as long as possible because it's such a cool place, and you never really know for sure when you might be back. I've done the Middle Fork more than 30 times, but I certainly never get tired of it. More and more, as time goes on, I feel like it's my home away from home. In the years when I've been able to do two trips on the Middle Fork in July or August, that's really good medicine for my spirit and soul. 

Long-time friends and Ho Hum team-mates Jim Acee and Kristin Nelson

Think about trying to get out on Idaho's scenic rivers in the fall when the weather is still nice. You also can plan a trip on the Main Salmon River, Hells Canyon, South Fork Snake River or sign up for a jet-boat scenic ride or fishing trip on the Salmon or Hells Canyon. If you don't have your own river gear, look for hot deals with outfitters through Raft Idaho. Jet boat trips can be found at the Riggins Chamber of Commerce web site. 

I'll let the photos do the rest of the talking so you can share in the glory of our mostly smokeless Middle Fork trip.
- SS 

Ben, Kelly and I hiked up the switchback trail by Camas Creek on our layover day. 

Steve enjoys the hot pool at Sunflower Hot Springs

Dan and Kelly at Sunflower Hot Springs

Kelly liked the hot springs at Hospital Bar as well ... 

Veil Falls 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summer vacation is on the wane! Two weekends left before school starts!

Steve backpacking in the Red Mountain Lakes area.

Hi all,

Sad but true, summer vacation is on the wane! There are only two weekends left before Boise Schools start up on Monday, Aug. 19. How have you done on your summer outdoor punch list?

Taking a look back at my many recommendations for summer, let's review your options for what to do!  

1. Float a river (day trip) - we're blessed with so many options here, but have you floated the Boise River? How about the Payette River -- there's the Main Payette, South Fork Payette or Cabarton run on the North Fork. Check with Cascade Raft, Idaho Whitewater Unlimited, Bear Valley or the Payette River Company about guided trips. The Payette's calmer sections are great for stand-up paddle boarding (SUP), sit-on-top kayaking and canoeing.

Float a river! This is on the Cabarton stretch of the Payette River. 

2. Climb a mountain - The pinnacle is to climb Mount Borah, but there are so many other options in Idaho, with dozens of peaks over 10,000 feet and 8 peaks over 12,000 feet. See Idaho mountain expert Tom Lopez's list of recommended mountain peaks. McCall mountain expert John Platt also has an extensive list of peaks and mountains that he's climbed.

3. Ride the ski lift to the top of Bogus Basin, Brundage Mountain or Sun Valley and go hiking or biking from there. Bogus is going to give away a free season pass to whoever is the 100,000th person to ride the mountain coaster this weekend. Sounds like a reason to go! Brundage recently opened a new intermediate-level mountain bike trail. They've also got Emily Tipton playing Friday night as part of the TGIF concert series and a Caribbean dinner planned. Hope the Netheker fire burning near Burgdorf doesn't create a lot of smoke! #prayforburgdorf!

4. Take your kids fishing - See the list of Idaho Fish and Game's Family Fishing Waters to find some great recommendations close to home.

Go hiking in the Sawtooths (photo courtesy Michael Lanza/The Big Outside)

5. Go backpacking in the Sawtooths, White Clouds, Pioneers or Big Lost Mountain Range. See Michael Lanza's recommended hikes in the Sawtooths in his blog, the Big Outside. See a recommended major loop in the White Clouds in Backpacker mag. For a great hike in the Pioneers, see my blog post about hiking Broad Canyon. For the Big Lost range, see this overview in Summit Post.com. 

6. Sleep under the stars in a dark sky venue like Bear Valley, the Owyhee Canyonlands or outside of Stanley.

Catch a trout on the Middle Fork Salmon River. 

7. Fly into the Middle Fork of the Salmon River and go fly-fishing for native cutthroat trout. Air taxi services in Boise, Cascade or McCall can take you into the Middle Fork in less than an hour. All fishing is catch and release.

8. Go mountain biking on a classic loop trail like Fisher-Williams in the White Clouds, Loon Lake north of McCall or Around the Mountain at Bogus Basin. 

Climbing up a short hill to finish the Fisher-Williams Loop (courtesy Salsa cycles)

9. Go SUP'ing, boating or swimming in a refreshing, natural Idaho mountain lake like Payette Lake, Redfish Lake, or Priest Lake.

10. Go see an outdoor concert! See a summer roundup in the Idaho Statesman for a full rundown of outdoor concerts planned in the summer of 2019.

For further enrichment on Idaho bucket list trips, see an Idaho bucket list post from Boise State radio, and a post that I did listing another 30 bucket list trips that they didn't cover.
- SS

Here's a hodge-podge of Idaho outdoorsy things to do this weekend or on spring break

Bruneau Dunes State Park

Great views when hiking in Succor Creek State Park

Leslie Gulch has many unique rock formations

Pruitt's Castle on the Lower Owyhee River

Big white sandy beaches on the Salmon River

Hells Canyon!

A Cooper's hawk

Hikers, runners and mountain bikers were everywhere in the Boise Foothills Thursday evening.

Hi all,

Oh. my. word. Suddenly the weather shifts to the dry and warm side in the Boise Valley for two days, and the trails are trying out rapidly in the Boise Foothills. You can bet the same thing is occurring in the Snake River canyon and the Owyhee foothills.

Wendy and I took our puppy "Huck" on the Kestrel-Red Cliffs loop in the Boise Foothills on Thursday evening, and the trails on the 5-mile loop were bone dry. We loved feeling the warm sunshine on our faces, hiking comfortably in shorts, and seeing all of the hawks and songbirds. We saw a pair of Cooper's hawks, kestrels, bunched-up robins migrating through, the sweet call of meadowlarks, and many other birds flying around. Spring is here! Yay!

The weather is looking fabulous this weekend, with temperatures pushing into the low 70s. It was in the low 60s today (Thursday), and it felt like 80. That will open up the possibilities for lots of things.

Here are some Idaho staycation suggestions for the weekend and Spring Break:

• Outdoor multitasking mania - It's that time of year when you can sneak in a little spring skiing in the morning at Bogus Basin, and then go play golf, tennis, road biking, mountain biking, or kayaking/rafting on the Payette River in the afternoon. You could probably work in more activities than that if you're creative. See my previous blog on the topic.
• Camping in the desert. With temperatures warming up quickly, it should be safe to go camping in the Snake River canyon below Swan Falls Dam, at Succor Creek State Park, Leslie Gulch or on BLM lands on the front side of the Owyhees. A high-clearance 4WD vehicle is recommended, because there is still a chance of rain in the forecast. You just never know this time of year.
• Go camping at a developed campground in the desert. If you'd like to pick a sure thing, head for Bruneau Dunes State Park and hike around on big sand dunes. It's a great spot for families and kids. You won't get stuck on muddy dirt roads here ... the park roads are all paved.
• Spring beach camping on the Salmon River. Maybe you didn't plan a trip to Mexico or Bora Bora this year. But you can still sift sand through your toes on the banks of the Salmon River, 10 miles upstream of Riggins or more, there are many beaches to consider for camping. Do a little day trip rafting, kayaking, steelhead fishing or hiking on the Wind River Trail.
• Spring hiking, camping or backpacking in Hells Canyon National Recreation Area via Pittsburg Landing, near Whitebird. See my previous blog about this trip. Hells Canyon is usually the warmest spot in Idaho.
• Float the Owyhee River. The Owyhee was flowing only 1,200 cfs as of Thursday evening, but this warm weather will bring it up some more. I bet there will be some early-birds launching on the Lower Owyhee River tomorrow or Saturday. See my previous blog on this topic.
• Go corn skiing in the backcountry. Go early before the snow gets too sloppy. Banner Ridge, Pilot Peak, Sunset Mountain, Copper Mountain and Stargaze yurt are all good locations for backcountry skiing and snowboarding. Bring plenty of sunscreen!
• Float the Payette River. The North Fork of the Payette River was cranking Thursday afternoon (we had a good glimpse on the way back from McCall) at 1,700 cfs, and the Main Payette was runnign at 3,400 cfs. There will be some early birds floating Cabarton in the snow, and a bunch of rafters and kayakers on the Main Payette. Spring boating is happening.
• Go steelhead fishing on the upper Salmon River between Corn Creek and Stanley. There are only a few weeks left in the season, and the fish are moving upstream to spawn. The nice weather should make for especially nice conditions for steelhead fishing. Check the Idaho Outfitters and Guides Association web site for a guide, if you need one.

Hopefully those ideas will inspire a little adventure!

- SS

Nice weekend for a river trip

Rainbow Bridge

Wet Spot

Quinn Stuebner, left, Drew Stuebner and Elena Lansing (Wilson)

The new boat slider at higher water

Just after we finished the ramp

(click to enlarge)

(click to enlarge)

Hi all,

With temperatures expected in the 80s this weekend, it should be a great time to float the Payette River.

The South Fork is too low to float, and the Middle Fork is done, but North Fork of the Payette River is running about 1,200 cubic feet per second (cfs) elow Cascade Dam, so there's still enough water to run the Cabarton Class 3 section of the North Fork or canoe from Cascade to Cabarton. Both trips are featured in my book Paddling the Payette.

The water will be a little bit low and scratchy on the Cabarton run (normal summer flow is 1,500 to 1,800), but still totally doable. The fishing can get better when the water is a little lower. Visit the Payette River page on my web site to check river flows in the future.

If you're more into a flat-water paddling trip, the 9-mile trip from Cascade to Cabarton is a beauty. The current is slow, and the gradient is table-top flat, so it's a totally low-key canoeing trip through Valley County cattle country and one heron rookery. You'll also likely see kingfishers and ospreys. Bring your fishing pole if you like to fish. This section could be floated in a fishing cat or inflatable kayak as well.

The Cabarton run may be quite popular this weekend because it's "the only game in town," so to speak. Be aware of that. Go early or late to avoid the peak crowds.

I like to take my kids on Cabarton because we can fish, and it's a relatively easy whitewater float. The rapids are rated Class 3, with Howards Plunge, the last and biggest drop on the river, rated a Class 3+. It's the climax to a great day on the river.

If you don't have your own kayak or raft, you can go with several outfitters run Cabarton, including Cascade Raft & Kayak, Idaho Whitewater Unlimited, and Bear Valley River Co. You also could rent rafts or kayaks at Idaho River Sports or Boise Army-Navy.

At the put-in at Cabarton Bridge, you'll notice a new boat ramp. We got a whitewater license plate grant two years ago to pay for the building materials, working through Valley County. They were a great partner for that project. The Idaho Whitewater Association also has been working on putting in a new rest room this year at the Cabarton put-in.

Little trivia: The name Cabarton comes from a logging boss named C.A. Barton who worked for the Boise-Payette Lumber Co. in the vicinity many moons ago.

Check out the river maps and photos and have fun! I'll see ya there.

- SS