# Middle fork of the Salmon river in late April



## PhilipJFry (Apr 1, 2013)

getting in would be your biggest challenge that time of year. you also have to think about wood that time of year too.


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## dirtbagkayaker (Oct 29, 2008)

I'm thinking la Nina and getting my hopes up for early boating season 2018. But the odds of people boating the MFS in April are low even in la Nina years. Chances are that noone will hire you a boat for the MFS in April. If your dead set on the MFS then you want to consider flying in options and pray for no snow. You might have more luck on the Owyhee River in April.


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## carvedog (May 11, 2005)

Usually you drive to the put in or launch site at Boundary Creek but that has never opened in April. There is a small pass that sits at over 7,000 feet of elevation that the snow must melt before you can drive in. You could have anything from fairly low water to nearly peak flow depending on temperatures and snowpack. 

At low water many trips fly to Indian Creek, bypassing the first 25 miles of the river and float the remaining 75 miles after launching the trip at Indian Creek. The airstrip will almost certainly be clear of snow by then - allowing you to rent gear fly in and launch from there. 

Another option (although not a great one if you have not seen this stretch) is to launch near Stanley on one of the creeks that becomes the Middle Fork which is Marsh Creek. It is the hardest class 3 run imaginable filled with logs, very few places to eddy out and is a constant source of epic tales of carnage. Some years. If I was an outfitter I would not rent a boat to you to use on Marsh Creek. 

Maybe you have kayaks involved in this plan, but I would not recommend a one boat float at that time of year. There will likely be no one else on the river and very few people at the remote airstrip serviced settlements that dot the river occasionally. You must plan on being entirely self sufficient for rescue and the possibility of evacuation due to injury. 
Oh yeah - I have seen it snow every month of the year that I have been on the river meaning May thru October, so you need to think about drysuits or wetsuits in April as I would be more surprised if you didn't have some gnarly weather than if you did. 


Good luck.


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## Crazy Beaver (Mar 31, 2012)

Salt river is what you want to do in April.


Sent from my iPhone using Mountain Buzz


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## Andy H. (Oct 13, 2003)

donmcdazzle said:


> I have a couple of weeks in the states next year in late April and was trying to work out whether this trip can be done at that time of year?


For practical purposes as a tourist, no. If you're going for world class adventure, yes. Real adventure, with bona-fide winter camping on a river trip.


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## rubtheduck (Jun 20, 2016)

Unless you enjoy winter camping and and defying death...


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