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Home › Waters › Idaho › Salmon River
River · Central Idaho · Idaho

Salmon River Fishing Guides

The River of No Return, running 425 miles through the largest wilderness in the lower 48, with summer cutthroat fishing and a fall and spring steelhead season that defines Idaho angling.

A clear river pool below pines and broken rock in the Rockies

Map of the Salmon River

62 numbered points: 33 access points, 18 campsites, 1 bait & fly shop, 2 parks and conservation areas, 2 agency offices, 1 hazard, 3 springs, 1 USGS gauge, 1 point of interest. Tap a marker for details. Reviewed Sep 15, 2026.

Printable version →
  • Access / boat ramp (33)
  • Campsite (18)
  • Bait, tackle & fly shop (1)
  • Park / conservation area (2)
  • Agency / conservation office (2)
  • Dam / hazard (1)
  • Spring (3)
  • USGS gauge (1)
  • Point of interest (1)
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Points are curated from OpenStreetMap and state agency sources; confirm access and hours before you go.

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.

Open the printable map
All 62 points on this map
#PointTypeLat, LonNotes
1Sunny Gulch Campground
Sawtooth NRA		Campsite44.17495, -114.91004Forest Service campground on the highway just below Redfish Lake road.
2Salmon River Bridge Access
Stanley		Access / boat ramp44.22353, -114.92768First ramp below Stanley — the usual put-in for the upper canyon.
3Salmon River Campground
Sawtooth NRA		Campsite44.24941, -114.87004Forest Service campground on the highway below Stanley.
4Casino Creek Campground
Sawtooth NRA		Campsite44.25395, -114.85742Small Forest Service campground on the river bench.
5Riverside Campground
Sawtooth NRA		Campsite44.26596, -114.85044Forest Service campground right on the water above Mormon Bend.
6Mormon Bend Boat Ramp
Sawtooth NRA · campground at the ramp		Access / boat ramp44.26257, -114.84386Ramp and Forest Service campground at the same bend — a standard take-out for the Stanley run.
7Cove Hot Springs
Riverside		Spring44.26354, -114.81303Hot spring on the bank between Mormon Bend and Sunbeam.
8Sunbeam Hot Springs
Sawtooth NRA		Spring44.26767, -114.74977Roadside hot spring with a stone bathhouse; pools are on the river's edge below the highway.
9Sunbeam Dam
Breached 1934		Dam / hazard44.27069, -114.73588The old dam is breached but the river runs fast through the notch — scout it before you run it.
10Elk Creek Boat Launch
Sawtooth NRA		Access / boat ramp44.26582, -114.72258Launch just below Sunbeam Dam.
11Dutchman Flat Dispersed Campground
Sawtooth NRA · dispersed		Campsite44.26577, -114.72044Dispersed camping on the flat below Sunbeam — no services.
12Upper O'Brien Campground
Sawtooth NRA		Campsite44.25939, -114.69809Forest Service campground on the river below Sunbeam.
13Lower O'Brien Campground
Sawtooth NRA		Campsite44.25748, -114.69448Forest Service campground on the river below Sunbeam.
14Marshall Creek Campground
Sawtooth NRA		Campsite44.25518, -114.68765Small campground at Marshall Creek.
15Torrey's RV Park
Private		Campsite44.25275, -114.60321Riverside RV park at Torrey's, beside the boat ramp of the same name.
16Torrey's Hole Boat Ramp
Sawtooth NRA		Access / boat ramp44.25561, -114.59350Ramp at Torrey's, on the run down to Clayton.
17Whiskey Campground
Sawtooth NRA		Campsite44.25480, -114.55240Forest Service campground above Holman Creek.
18Holman Creek Campground
Sawtooth NRA		Campsite44.24909, -114.53018Forest Service campground on the river above Clayton.
19Clayton Ranger Station
US Forest Service		Agency / conservation office44.25775, -114.49121Ranger station at Clayton — river, road and fire information.
20South Butte Boat Ramp
Below Clayton		Access / boat ramp44.24933, -114.45420Ramp below Clayton on the run toward the East Fork.
21East Fork Campground
Salmon-Challis NF		Campsite44.26750, -114.32662Campground near the East Fork confluence.
22Deadman Hole Boat Ramp
BLM · campground at the ramp		Access / boat ramp44.34714, -114.26590Ramp and campground at Deadman Hole, above Challis.
23Bayhorse Campground
BLM		Campsite44.38556, -114.26041Campground on the river below Deadman Hole.
24Dugway River Access
BLM		Access / boat ramp44.39356, -114.26332Access on the Challis reach.
25Challis Bridge Boat Ramp
Challis		Access / boat ramp44.47081, -114.20026Ramp at the Challis highway bridge.
26Land of the Yankee Fork State Park
Idaho Parks and Recreation		Park / conservation area44.50742, -114.18201State park and mining history area at the Yankee Fork, on the river road below Challis.
27Challis Hot Springs
Private · RV park and pools		Spring44.52317, -114.17434Hot springs and RV park on the river bench below Challis.
28Watts Bridge Boat Ramp
BLM · campground at the ramp		Access / boat ramp44.63199, -114.14546Ramp and campground at Watts Bridge, on the long canyon run to Salmon.
29Cottonwood Campground Boat Ramp
BLM · campground at the ramp		Access / boat ramp44.66852, -114.08052Ramp at Cottonwood Campground, the busiest BLM site on this reach.
30Deer Gulch Boat Access
BLM		Access / boat ramp44.69982, -114.04377Access in the canyon below Cottonwood.
31Cronk's Canyon Boat Access
BLM		Access / boat ramp44.72943, -114.00390Canyon access above Colston Creek.
32Colston Creek Boat Access
BLM		Access / boat ramp44.75261, -113.99533Canyon access below Cronk's.
33McKim Boat Access
BLM		Access / boat ramp44.79733, -114.00417Access on the run down to Elk Bend.
34Kilpatrick Boat Ramp
BLM		Access / boat ramp44.83010, -113.98724Ramp above Elk Bend.
35Elk Bend Boat Ramp
Elk Bend		Access / boat ramp44.90433, -113.96889Ramp at Elk Bend, on the highway south of Salmon.
36Salmon River R.V. Park
Private		Campsite44.90258, -113.96808RV park at Elk Bend, beside the ramp.
37Waddington Creek Campground
BLM		Campsite44.93221, -113.96177Small campground on the highway below Elk Bend.
38Elevenmile Boat Ramp
BLM		Access / boat ramp45.02621, -113.91831Ramp eleven miles above Salmon.
39Eightmile River Access
BLM		Access / boat ramp45.07221, -113.90804Access eight miles above Salmon.
40Shoup Bridge Boat Ramp
BLM · campground at the ramp		Access / boat ramp45.09809, -113.89394Ramp and campground at Shoup Bridge, the usual put-in for the float into town.
41Salmon River Fly Box
Salmon		Bait, tackle & fly shop45.17623, -113.89500Fly shop in Salmon — flies, licences and current river information.
42Island Park
City of Salmon		Park / conservation area45.17756, -113.89956Riverside park in the middle of Salmon, beside the whitewater park.
43Salmon Whitewater Park
City of Salmon		Point of interest45.17656, -113.89853Engineered wave features in town — surfable at higher flows, and a hazard for loaded boats.
44USGS gauge — Salmon River at Salmon
Site 13302500		USGS gauge45.18361, -113.89528The flow reading the whole upper river is run on. Check it before you commit.
45Bureau of Land Management, Salmon Field Office
BLM		Agency / conservation office45.17056, -113.88917Field office in Salmon — river permits, access and campground information.
46Carmen Bridge Boat Ramp
BLM		Access / boat ramp45.23120, -113.89448Ramp at Carmen, below Salmon.
47Morgan Bar Boat Ramp
BLM · campground at the ramp		Access / boat ramp45.25390, -113.90719Ramp and campground at Morgan Bar.
48Tower Rock Boat Ramp
BLM · campground at the ramp		Access / boat ramp45.31147, -113.90700Ramp and campground at Tower Rock, on the run to North Fork.
49Red Rock Boat Ramp
BLM		Access / boat ramp45.34815, -113.92007Ramp below Tower Rock.
50Fourth of July Creek Boat Access
BLM		Access / boat ramp45.36041, -113.94486Access above Bobcat Gulch.
51Bobcat Gulch Boat Ramp
BLM		Access / boat ramp45.36604, -113.96552Ramp just above North Fork.
52Wagonhammer RV Park
Private		Campsite45.38552, -113.96187RV park and campground at North Fork.
53North Fork Boat Ramp
North Fork		Access / boat ramp45.40503, -113.99535Ramp at North Fork, where the highway leaves the river and the wilderness road begins.
54Dead Water Boat Ramp
Salmon-Challis NF		Access / boat ramp45.38720, -114.05165Ramp on the Corn Creek road below North Fork.
55Spring Creek Boat Ramp
Salmon-Challis NF		Access / boat ramp45.39069, -114.25648Ramp on the road down to Corn Creek.
56Duncans Outpost Boat Ramp
Salmon-Challis NF		Access / boat ramp45.31588, -114.40682Ramp on the lower road above Cove Creek.
57Cove Creek Boat Ramp
Salmon-Challis NF		Access / boat ramp45.32610, -114.42841Ramp at Cove Creek.
58Ebenezer Bar
Salmon-Challis NF		Campsite45.30441, -114.51581Campground on the road below Cove Creek.
59Confluence Takeout
Salmon-Challis NF		Access / boat ramp45.29907, -114.59561Take-out at the Middle Fork confluence — the end of a Middle Fork trip.
60Cache Bar Boat Ramp
Salmon-Challis NF		Access / boat ramp45.31856, -114.63671Ramp at Cache Bar, below the Middle Fork confluence.
61Corn Creek Campground
Salmon-Challis NF		Campsite45.36934, -114.68525Campground at the end of the road, beside the wilderness launch.
62Corn Creek Boat Ramp
Salmon-Challis NF · permit launch		Access / boat ramp45.36995, -114.68775The Main Salmon put-in at the end of the road. Below here the river runs through the Frank Church wilderness on a permit.

Guides on the Salmon River

Claimed profiles take booking requests. Unclaimed profiles are built from public records so the river is never empty; the guide can claim or remove one any time.

About the Salmon River

The Salmon rises in the Sawtooths, runs east then north past Stanley, Challis and Salmon, then turns west through the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness to the Snake at the Oregon line. It is the longest river contained entirely within a single state outside Alaska, and it drains the largest roadless area in the lower forty-eight.

Two fisheries matter. In summer the river and its tributaries are a westslope cutthroat and rainbow fishery, best from Stanley down through Challis, fished on foot from the highway and by raft on the multi-day wilderness stretches. Cutthroat here rise freely to attractor dries and the fishing is as much about the setting as the size of the fish. In fall and spring the river becomes a steelhead river, and the runs of B-run fish that travel eight hundred miles from the Pacific to reach Idaho are the reason many anglers know the name at all. Chinook seasons open in some years depending on returns.

Steelhead and salmon seasons on the Salmon are set annually from run forecasts and change from year to year, sometimes substantially. Anyone planning a trip needs the current rules, and a permit is required for the wilderness float sections.

The Salmon-town gauge reads the upper and middle river. Snowmelt drives a large spring peak that makes the river unfishable for wading and demanding for boats; by midsummer it drops into good shape, and fall flows are low, clear and ideal for swinging flies.

Stanley, Challis, Salmon and Riggins are the towns. Riggins is the steelhead center; Stanley is the summer trout base.

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Version 1.0, dated 6 September 2026. Applies to every photograph submitted to GuidedFloats through the contact form, a species page, or the community board.

1. What you give us

By ticking the box on the form you grant Guided Floats, LLC (“GuidedFloats”, “we”) a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to store, copy, resize, crop and display your photograph on guidedfloats.com, in GuidedFloats’ own social media accounts and mobile apps, and in material that promotes the site itself, in connection with the fish, water or community feature you sent it in for. The license lasts until you withdraw it (section 4).

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2. What you confirm

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5. What we may do

We choose which photos to publish and may decline any submission without giving a reason. We may crop, resize, sharpen or colour-correct a photo for display, and we may remove a photo at any time. We will not alter a photo in a way that misrepresents the fish, the water or you.

6. Your details

We keep your name, email address, the credit name, the water and date you gave us, and the network address the submission came from, with the submission record, as our evidence of this license. We hold that record for as long as the photo is published and for the retention period described in our privacy policy. Location data that your camera or phone embedded in the file is removed before the photo is published.

7. Versions

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Posting to Salmon River.

JPG, PNG or WebP, up to 12 MB. We resize it and strip the location data out of the file.

The name shown under the photo. Leave blank to stay anonymous.

Reader photo license v1.0 — the short version:

  • You grant Guided Floats, LLC a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to publish, resize and crop your photo on guidedfloats.com and in GuidedFloats’ own social posts and apps. You keep the copyright and can use the photo anywhere else.
  • You confirm that you took the photo yourself, that publishing it does not infringe anyone else’s rights, and that anyone recognisable in it (or a parent or guardian, if they are under 18) is happy for it to appear here.
  • Credit is printed beside the photo wherever it appears on the site, using the credit name you give us. Leave it blank and we use your name; write “Anonymous” for no name. Your email address is never published.
  • Withdrawing is one email to hello@guidedfloats.com naming the photo. It comes off the site within 7 days.
Read the full license

Version 1.0, dated 6 September 2026. Applies to every photograph submitted to GuidedFloats through the contact form, a species page, or the community board.

1. What you give us

By ticking the box on the form you grant Guided Floats, LLC (“GuidedFloats”, “we”) a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to store, copy, resize, crop and display your photograph on guidedfloats.com, in GuidedFloats’ own social media accounts and mobile apps, and in material that promotes the site itself, in connection with the fish, water or community feature you sent it in for. The license lasts until you withdraw it (section 4).

You keep the copyright. The license is not exclusive, so you can use the photo anywhere else and license it to anyone else. We will not sell your photo, license it on to anyone else on its own, or use it in paid advertising for a third party.

2. What you confirm

You confirm that you took the photograph yourself (or otherwise own the rights to it), that you have the right to grant this license, and that publishing the photo does not infringe anyone else’s copyright, privacy or other rights.

If any person is recognisable in the photo, you confirm that they have agreed to its being published here, and that a parent or guardian has agreed on behalf of anyone under 18. Please do not send photographs of other people’s catches, screenshots, or pictures copied from other websites or social media.

3. Credit

We print the credit name you give us beside the photo wherever it appears on the site, and record it as the photo’s creator in the page’s structured data. If you leave the credit blank we use the name you gave us on the form. Write “Anonymous” if you prefer no name at all. Your email address, phone number and the exact spot the photo was taken are never published.

4. Withdrawing the license

You can withdraw the license at any time by emailing hello@guidedfloats.com, or by using the contact form, and telling us which photo you mean. We will remove the photo from guidedfloats.com within 7 days of receiving your message and stop using it in anything new. Copies that are already outside our control — search-engine caches, social posts that have already gone out, printed material already produced — may take longer to disappear or may not be recallable, and we are not responsible for those.

5. What we may do

We choose which photos to publish and may decline any submission without giving a reason. We may crop, resize, sharpen or colour-correct a photo for display, and we may remove a photo at any time. We will not alter a photo in a way that misrepresents the fish, the water or you.

6. Your details

We keep your name, email address, the credit name, the water and date you gave us, and the network address the submission came from, with the submission record, as our evidence of this license. We hold that record for as long as the photo is published and for the retention period described in our privacy policy. Location data that your camera or phone embedded in the file is removed before the photo is published.

7. Versions

The version of this license you accepted is stored with your submission and printed with the photo. A later version does not apply to a photo you have already sent unless you agree to it.

Flow alert

Tell me when the Salmon River cfs

Now: 1,100 cfs, read 2:45 am CDT, Mon Oct 19, 2026 (USGS 13302500, SALMON RIVER AT SALMON ID).

We never use this address for anything else and never share it. See the privacy policy.

Access

Stanley and the Sawtooth Valley: upper river access and the top of the trout water.
Sunbeam and Torrey's: middle upper river accesses on Highway 75.
Challis and the Highway 93 corridor: numerous pullouts and boat ramps.
Salmon: town access near the gauge, outfitters and lodging.
Corn Creek: the launch for the Middle Fork and Main Salmon wilderness floats, permit required.
Riggins and the lower river: the center of the fall and spring steelhead fishery.

Seasons

March through May: spring steelhead on the lower river; runoff builds on the upper.
June and July: high snowmelt, wilderness raft season begins as it drops.
August and September: prime cutthroat fishing, low clear water, the best wading of the year.
October through December: fall steelhead, cold mornings, the classic Idaho swing season.

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Questions

What is the current flow on the Salmon River?

As of Oct 19, 2:45 am, the USGS gauge SALMON RIVER AT SALMON ID reads 1,100 cfs, the 27th percentile for this date. Conditions update every 15 minutes.

What species can you catch on the Salmon River?

Anglers target Bull Trout, Chinook Salmon, Mountain Whitefish, Rainbow Trout, Steelhead, Westslope Cutthroat Trout on the Salmon River in Idaho.

Are there fishing guides on the Salmon River?

GuidedFloats lists 2 guides and outfitters on the Salmon River. Claimed profiles accept booking requests; unclaimed profiles are built from public records and link to the business.

Where can you access the Salmon River?

Stanley and the Sawtooth Valley: upper river access and the top of the trout water. Sunbeam and Torrey's: middle upper river accesses on Highway 75. Challis and the Highway 93 corridor: numerous pullouts and boat ramps. Salmon: town access near the gauge, outfitters and lodging. Corn Creek: the launch for the Middle Fork and Main Salmon wilderness floats, permit required. Riggins and the lower river: the center of the fall and spring steelhead fishery.

When is the best time to fish the Salmon River?

March through May: spring steelhead on the lower river; runoff builds on the upper. June and July: high snowmelt, wilderness raft season begins as it drops. August and September: prime cutthroat fishing, low clear water, the best wading of the year. October through December: fall steelhead, cold mornings, the classic Idaho swing season.

Where are the fishing regulations for the Salmon River?

Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Idaho agency site: https://idfg.idaho.gov/rules/fish