Print it. Bag it. Bring it.Phones die, screens crack, and most of this water has no signal. Print this map, fold it into a zip-top bag or dry bag with your license, and you have a backup your electronics can’t give you. Every marker is numbered so you can say exactly where you are.
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Idaho - Nevada state line Bruneau River enters Idaho | Point of interest | 42.00011, -115.64946 | The Idaho reach runs 152 km (94 mi) from here to the Snake. Position measured where the chained OSM centreline crosses 42 deg N, not from a published coordinate. |
| 2 | Jarbidge River confluence Jarbidge joins from the east | Point of interest | 42.32957, -115.65255 | Parties who launch on the Jarbidge at Murphy Hot Springs reach the Bruneau here - BLM gives that run as 30.5 river miles. It is 1.2 km above the Bruneau launch site. |
| 3 | Indian Hot Springs Road bridge Indian Hot Springs Road - 4WD track | Bridge crossing | 42.33809, -115.64651 | BLM calls this the bridge launch: from the Wild and Scenic kiosk it is 0.2 mi left to the bridge and 0.16 mi right to the BLM launch. |
| 4 | Bruneau River Launch Site (Indian Hot Springs) BLM - self-issue permit box - no facilities | Access / boat ramp | 42.33835, -115.64727 | Four-wheel-drive, high-clearance road in. BLM publishes GPS 42.34222 / -115.64389 for the site; this is the OSM access point on the water. Free self-issue permit, box at the launch. |
| 5 | Sheep Creek confluence Wild and Scenic tributary from the east | Point of interest | 42.49830, -115.59699 | Sheep Creek carries 25.6 miles of Wild designation of its own. Position is the chained centreline point nearest the mapped creek, not a published coordinate. |
| 6 | Roberson East Trail Canyon climb-out and portage trail | Point of interest | 42.65226, -115.69725 | BLM describes Five Mile Rapids - the Class IV drop on the lower canyon - and a Roberson Trail portage around it. No published coordinate for the rapid itself was found, so none is shown. |
| 7 | Bruneau Canyon Overlook BLM viewpoint on the west rim | Point of interest | 42.69140, -115.67204 | Rim to riverbed 800 ft, opposite rim 1,300 ft away. Reached by Hot Springs Road east from Bruneau, about 15.6 mi to the signed turn then ~3 mi. BLM marker reads 42.68806 / -115.67389. |
| 8 | USGS 13168500 - Bruneau River near Hot Spring USGS streamgage | USGS gauge | 42.77111, -115.72028 | BLM guidance for this run is roughly 500-2,500 cfs here, with about 1,000 cfs the practical minimum for rafts. Short spring season. |
| 9 | Bruneau River Take-Out BLM - gravel road - no facilities | Access / boat ramp | 42.77560, -115.71890 | Nine miles south of Bruneau on good gravel; two-wheel drive is adequate. Part of the take-out is on private land. BLM marker reads 42.77306 / -115.71611. Motors are prohibited above this point. |
| 10 | Harris Dam Irrigation weir, immediately below the take-out | Dam / hazard | 42.77608, -115.71834 | The first of the valley diversion structures and the reason the float ends at the take-out above it. |
| 11 | Buckaroo Dam Irrigation weir - feeds Buckaroo Ditch | Dam / hazard | 42.78004, -115.71457 | USGS gauges Buckaroo Ditch at Hot Springs near Bruneau, which corroborates the diversion here. |
| 12 | Hot Creek Road bridge, Hot Spring Hot Creek Road at the Hot Spring locality | Bridge crossing | 42.79167, -115.71881 | First road bridge below the take-out. Hot Creek comes in about 1.5 km upstream; BLM places the take-out roughly a mile below that confluence. |
| 13 | Tumbleweed RV Park & Storage In Bruneau, about 1.3 km east of the river | Campsite | 42.88186, -115.79419 | The only mapped camping at the take-out end of the run. Not a riverside site - it is in town, off ID 51. |
| 14 | ID 51 / ID 78 bridge, Bruneau Idaho 51 / Idaho 78 highway crossing | Bridge crossing | 42.88037, -115.81787 | The only highway bridge on the Idaho Bruneau. BLM measures roughly 56 river miles from the Jarbidge confluence to south of Bruneau; the chained line gives 54.6 mi to here. |
| 15 | Bruneau Arm - head of slackwater C.J. Strike Reservoir backs up to about here | Point of interest | 42.92079, -115.88756 | Below this the Bruneau is reservoir, not river, and it belongs to the C.J. Strike sheet. Position is the centreline point nearest the OSM Bruneau Arm label. |
| 16 | Snake River confluence Mouth of the Bruneau, in C.J. Strike Reservoir | Point of interest | 42.95000, -115.97007 | End of the chained centreline: 251.7 km (156 mi) from the Nevada headwaters, 152 km (94 mi) of it in Idaho. |
Gauge: USGS 13168500 — BRUNEAU RIVER NR HOT SPRING ID. Live flow on the web page.
Species: Channel Catfish, Common Carp, Mountain Whitefish, Rainbow Trout, Redband Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass
Regulations: idfg.idaho.gov/rules/fish
Emergency: call 911 and give the number of the nearest point on this map plus its coordinates.
Bruneau - the small town near the river's lower end, the nearest point for fuel and basic supplies.
Mountain Home - the regional town to the north, with lodging, food and full services.
Bruneau Canyon Overlook - the standard viewpoint and orientation point for the canyon.
Bruneau Dunes State Park - nearby public land with camping and a base for exploring.
Boise - the city an hour and a half north, with an airport and outfitters.
Jarbidge River - the major tributary, joining the Bruneau for the classic wilderness run.
Snake River - the large river this drainage feeds, with very different fishing at the bottom end.
Spring: snowmelt brings the river up and this is the short window for the canyon whitewater run and the best flows of the year.
Summer: flows drop hard, the desert heat sets in, and fishing concentrates on the cooler upper reaches and early mornings.
Fall: cooling water and low clear flows make for excellent redband trout and smallmouth fishing with almost no company.
Winter: access becomes the ob