Boom! New wildfire closes Main Salmon River, new creek blowouts block upper Middle Fork Salmon - Here we go again!

Courtesy Lynn Demerse/U.S. Forest Service 

Hi all, 

In the last week, the Elkhorn wildfire blew up and burned over the top of the Allison Ranch on the Main Salmon River, taking out seven buildings including the main lodge, cabins and museum, and the Main Salmon - River of No Return Wilderness section has been closed for three days for safety reasons.

The Main Salmon reopened today, Thursday, Aug. 3, but it could be a day-to-day situation for weeks/months depending on fire behavior and weather. See more information about the Elkhorn Fire on the Forest Service inciweb site. It was burning about 25,000 acres in heavy timber and rugged country in the Salmon River breaks as of Thursday morning. 

On top of all this, a big rainstorm near Boundary Creek and Dagger Falls has caused two, new creek blowouts on the Middle Fork Salmon River, one below the Boundary Creek launch point, and a second one below Velvet Falls Rapids. 

Blowout above the entrance to Velvet Falls, Middle Fork Salmon River. 
(courtesy Aaron Lieberman/IOGA)

So, you might say all hell has broken loose in our beloved Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness and two nationally popular wilderness whitewater river trips, the Middle Fork and the Main Salmon. 

If the Forest Service has to close the Main Salmon again, it could cause a real pile up of river floaters on the Lower Salmon River, a place everyone goes when they don't draw a permit on the Main or the Middle Fork. Floaters also are being given the option of carrying over their trips to next year on the same date. 

On the Main, eight parties are poised to launch on the river every day.  

On the Middle Fork, many outfitted groups are flying in their trips to the Indian Creek airstrip 25 miles downriver because the water has dropped to 2.1 feet on the gauge. But it's likely that a number of private boaters were ready to launch at Boundary Creek today, only to learn that the river is blocked in two locations by log jams. The same thing happened on the Middle fork last year in late season.  

Elkhorn Fire perimeter map as of 7 a.m., 8/3/23  

So what to do if you're expecting to launch on the Main Salmon or Middle Fork Salmon? There's a number you can call to clarify your options: 208-756-5587.

"We are getting flooded with phone calls, that's for sure," officials manning that phone said today.  

If you do launch your trip on the Main Salmon, Forest Service officials say, "There will be no stopping or camping on either side of the river from Sunny Bar (River Mile 22.6) to Campbells Ferry (River Mile 42.5).  You will be floating through an active fire area and will encounter very smoky conditions. Please be on the lookout for falling rocks, logs and other debris.  Please exercise caution when floating through the fire area. 

"If you do choose to launch, please do not impede any firefighting operations including moving out of the way of jetboats carrying firefighting personnel when possible, following instructions from Forest Service personnel, and plan to pass through the no stopping, no camping section of the river as early in the day as possible. As your group passes through the fire area, stay together as a group with all boats in the party staying within close proximity to each other."

If you're planning to launch on the Middle Fork, you'll need to fly your group into Indian Creek to avoid the log jams in the upper portion of the river. 

Back to the Main Salmon ... the only issue with not stopping in that 15- to 20-mile section that's restricted due to the Elkhorn fire, is it's chock full of the biggest rapids on the whole trip, namely Big Mallard and Elkhorn, both Class 4 rapids, and 5 Mile rapids, a Class 3+ drop with a big hole on the right, and Split Rock Rapids, a big Class 3. The visibility may be bad when you're trying to negotiate these drops, so if you're not familiar with these rapids, that could be a reason to wait for next year. 

People going with outfitters will be going with experienced river guides who are running those rapids every week, so they will know the safe way through, even if the visibility is bad. 

I'd encourage floaters to visit with their groups and make a quick, informed decision on what to do. 

Be aware that ultimately, you will be on your own, and you'll be responsible for your own safety. Bring a satellite phone and an Garmin InReach GPS so you can communicate with the outside world. 

These are world-class once-in-a-lifetime river trips. If you have the flexibility to roll your permit date to next year, it might be best to postpone your trip and see the Main Salmon in all of its glory in bluebird, non-smoky, non-hazardous conditions next summer.  

- SS