Good Times on the Main Salmon

More on the Main How To Get There: The common put-in is north of Salmon, Idaho. Drive 22 miles to North Fork, and then drive downstream along the river for 45 miles to the Corn Creek access point. The regular take-out is the Carey Creek boat ramp, 20 miles upstream from Riggins, Idaho, on USFS Road 103. Logistics: The Main can be run year-round, but most trips occur from April to October. Permits are required between Corn Creek and Carey Creek from June 20 to Sept. 7. Permit applications, available from the North Fork Ranger District, Salmon National Forest, PO Box 180, North Fork, ID 83466; (208) 865-2383, are accepted from Dec. 1 to Jan. 31; a lottery occurs in February. Lodging: Take a tent. While You're There: Catch up on your reading. Outfitters/Resources: Commercial raft trips: Lewis and Clark Trail Adventures, Missoula, Montana; (406) 728-7609. Canyons, Inc., McCall, Idaho; (208) 634-4303. Instructional kayak trips: Tarkio Kayak Adventures, Missoula; (406) 543-4583; teamtarkio.com. For additional information on outfitters, please refer to our Adventure Paddling Directory. For information on other wonderful destinations, visit our Adventure Paddling Directory.

The first few miles below Corn Creek provide plenty of warm-up, with straightforward current and wide-open wave trains. There is something for everyone on this river, and it is forgiving enough to allow paddlers early in their careers to have an enjoyable first multiday paddling experience.

We paddled and drifted eight miles on the first day, and set up camp on a big sandy beach just above Rainier Rapid. Clinging to the side of the canyon, ponderosa pines towered above the camp, and warm white sand squished between our toes as we ran around chasing a Frisbee.

After breakfast, a morning class on river-running and eddy strategy was given, complete with sand diagrams. Folks were here not only to experience the beauty of this place but also to improve their paddling skills, and the Main Salmon was indeed a great classroom. The rapids of the day, Rainier, Devil's Teeth, and Salmon Falls, filled the newer paddlers with some trepidation but offered generally straightforward routes.

The second day on the river ended in great fashion. It had been a successful day for everyone, and fatigue was beginning to set in just as Barth Hot Springs appeared on river left to soak our tired and weary paddling bones.

The next day, Big Mallard proved to be a worthy rapid, with exciting runs down the river-left side of a huge midstream pourover. At higher water, this pourover turns into a nasty hole known as the Christmas Hole, because "if you get in there, you're not gonna get out till Christmas." We charged through Elkhorn Rapid and then bounced our way through Growler Rapid.

As the days seemed to slide together and we made our way farther downstream, we were engaged by the surroundings. We landed at a huge sandy volleyball beach in front of Buckskin Bill's, a folksy museum that was once the home of a true character who lived in the canyon for decades. Floating on mellower water, we passed two bears and some bighorn sheep as we approached Mackay Bar. This is the site of a landing strip and a lodge used by many fishermen and as a possible access point. Just below here, the South Fork of the Salmon River joined the Main, and our river-runner curiosity was stirred as we gazed longingly up the clear waters of the South Fork.

The river continued with good whitewater and scenery all the way to the take-out. By the end of the trip, this gang of kayakers had improved their boating skills and were pleased that the river had challenged but not scared them.

Dunbar Hardy is a freelance photographer and writer. His work can be seen at dunbarhardy.com.