Headwaters (Gold Creek To Stanley)
The mighty Salmon river begins it's journey draining to the north off of the sawtooths in central Idaho. This area is extremely picturesque and has a lot to offer (beyond river running). Backpacking, mountain biking, rock climbing and hiking are all available near Stanley. Stanley isn't the biggest town on the map but has basic services. You best bet is to setup a base camp somewhere around here and do day trips on the river.
Suggested river levels for paddling this section of the Salmon River are between a bare minimum of 600cfs and a high of 6,000cfs.
River conditions sourced from USGS 13302500, the Salmon River At Salmon Id
Remember only watercraft are permitted
at Headwaters (Gold Creek to Stanley).
Run Stats
| Status | Runnable |
| Class Level | III- to III+ |
| Elevation | 3,922 ft |
| Run Length | 10.2 Mi |
| Gradient | 32 FPM |
| Streamflow Discharge | 1440 cfs |
| Gage Height | 2.5 ft |
| Air Temperature | 52° |
| River | Salmon River |
| Reporting Streamgage |
Salmon River At Salmon Id
USGS 13302500 |
| Gauge | Streamflow | Stage |
|---|---|---|
|
Warm Springs Cr At Guyer Hot Spr Nr Ketchum Id
USGS 13137000 |
89 cfs | 9.8 ft |
|
Mf Salmon River At Mf Lodge Nr Yellow Pine Id
USGS 13309220 |
1,180 cfs | 2.2 ft |
|
Sf Boise River At Anderson Ranch Dam Id
USGS 13190500 |
612 cfs | 3.6 ft |
|
Big Wood River Nr Ketchum Id
USGS 13135500 |
90 cfs | 5.2 ft |
|
Camas Creek Nr Blaine Id
USGS 13141500 |
151 cfs | 3.8 ft |
|
Big Wood River Nr Bellevue Id
USGS 13141000 |
89 cfs | ft |
|
Big Wood River At Hailey Id Total Flow
USGS 13139510 |
264 cfs | 1.9 ft |
|
Salmon River Bl Yankee Fork Nr Clayton Id
USGS 13296500 |
799 cfs | 3.0 ft |
|
Big Wood R At S Broadford Bridge Nr Bellevue
USGS 13140335 |
206 cfs | 6.8 ft |
|
Thompson Creek Nr Clayton Id
USGS 13297330 |
14 cfs | 3.4 ft |
| Snotel Site | Snowpack | 24hr Change |
|---|---|---|
|
Chocolate Gulch
SNOTEL 895 |
20" | -1" |
|
Vienna Mine
SNOTEL 845 |
56" | -2" |
|
Atlanta Summit
SNOTEL 306 |
57" | -1" |
|
Morgan Creek
SNOTEL 639 |
19" | -1" |
|
Graham Guard Sta.
SNOTEL 496 |
13" | -2" |
|
Dollarhide Summit
SNOTEL 450 |
46" | 0" |
|
Galena Summit
SNOTEL 490 |
42" | 0" |
|
Jackson Peak
SNOTEL 550 |
56" | -1" |
|
bench lakes
SNOTEL BENLK_MADIS |
51.7" | 0.6" |
|
Mill Creek Summit
SNOTEL 627 |
36" | -1" |
|
Camas Creek Divide
SNOTEL 382 |
12" | -2" |
|
Lost-Wood Divide
SNOTEL 601 |
29" | -2" |
|
Trinity Mtn.
SNOTEL 830 |
62" | 0" |
|
Banner Summit
SNOTEL 312 |
46" | 0" |
|
Galena
SNOTEL 489 |
29" | -1" |
| Campground | Campsites | Reservations | Toilets | Showers | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salmon River | 37 | 6,147 ft | |||
| Smokey Bear | 17 | 7,025 ft | |||
| Sunny Gulch | 59 | 6,442 ft | |||
| Mormon Bend | 17 | 6,094 ft | |||
| Bonanza Volunteer Camp | 20 | 6,364 ft | |||
| Mountain View | 9 | 6,496 ft | |||
| Chinook Bay | 18 | 6,495 ft | |||
| Redfish Outlet | None | 6,566 ft | |||
| North Shore Alturas | 23 | 7,041 ft | |||
| Point | 19 | 6,570 ft | |||
| Alturas Inlet | 29 | 7,013 ft | |||
| Mount Heyburn | 23 | 6,580 ft | |||
| Basin Creek | 18 | 6,065 ft | |||
| Glacier View | 82 | 6,295 ft | |||
| Pettit Lake | 20 | 7,011 ft | |||
| Blind Creek | 6 | 6,011 ft | |||
| Casino Creek | 20 | 6,130 ft | |||
| Sockeye | 24 | 6,608 ft |
| Ski Area | Snowpack | Air Temperature | 5 Day Forecast |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soldier Mountain | 0" | 44° | 4.43" |
| River Run | Streamflow | Length | Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| Headwaters (Gold Creek to Stanley) | 1440.0cfs | 10.2 Mi | III- to III+ |
| Torreys to East Fork | 1440.0cfs | 17.7 Mi | II |
| Sunbeam Run (Stanley to Sunbeam Dam) | 1440.0cfs | 13.0 Mi | III- to III+ |