Idaho, USA • 100 miles

This app is the official self-guided rafting companion for the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, created in partnership with GoRafting.com. The Middle Fork of the Salmon runs 100 miles through the Frank Church – River of No Return Wilderness, the second-largest protected wilderness area in the Lower 48. From the put-in at Boundary Creek to the take-out at Cache Bar, the river drops over 2,700 feet through more than 100 rapids, from Class II riffles to Class IV drops at Velvet Falls, Pistol Creek, and Rubber Rapid. Along the way: natural hot springs at Sunflower, Loon Creek, and Sheepeater; Native American pictographs at Cameron Creek and Tombstone; homestead sites including Joe Bump Cabin and the famous Flying B Ranch; and a final run through Impassable Canyon, where sheer granite walls close in before the river meets the Main Salmon. Most groups run the trip in 6 to 8 days. This guide covers every listed camp, rapid, hot spring, airstrip, and point of interest along the full 100-mile run. Works completely offline, with live GPS location.

Planning a Self-Guided Middle Fork Trip

A Middle Fork permit is required year-round. During the control season (late May to early September), permits are issued through the Four Rivers Lottery, with applications open December 1 through January 31 each year. Outside the control season, permits are available on a first-come, first-served basis through the Salmon-Challis National Forest. For details see the FAQ below.

Most trips put in at Boundary Creek. But during low water, many groups fly or shuttle in to Indian Creek instead, skipping the more technical upper 25 miles. Takeout is at Cache Bar, a short shuttle from Salmon, Idaho. Maximum group size is 24. Nearest towns with services are Stanley, ID (put-in side) and Salmon, ID (take-out side).

Trip Highlights

Boundary Creek to Indian Creek (Miles 0–25) The upper stretch is steep, technical, low-volume boating. Early standout rapids include Ramshorn and Hell’s Half Mile, both reshaped by recent debris flows, followed by Velvet Falls at Mile 5, one of the river’s signature early rapids. Trail Flat and Sheepeater offer the first hot spring stops of the trip.

Indian Creek to Big Creek (Miles 25–78) The middle section is the Middle Fork flattens out compared to the beginning with more mellow rapids. It includes wide grassy benches, an historic homestead sites at Tappan’s Cabin, and some of the river’s best rapids including Ski Jump and the Haystack and Bernard series. Sunflower and Loon Creek hot springs sit along this stretch, along with pictograph sites at Cameron Creek and Underwater Canyon.

Impassable Canyon, Big Creek to Cache Bar (Miles 78–100) The final 22 miles cut through Impassable Canyon, where granite walls rise straight from the water and camps are scarce. Only one night of camping is allowed here. Highlights include the short hike to Veil Falls, and a run of the trip’s biggest whitewater: Redside, Weber, Rubber, and Devil’s Tooth, before the confluence with the Main Salmon and takeout at Cache Bar.

FAQs: Rafting the Middle Fork of the Salmon

Do you need a permit to raft the Middle Fork of the Salmon? Yes. A permit is required year-round between Dagger Falls (a Class V rapid just upriver from the usual 100-mile run starting point) and the confluence with the Main Salmon. Permits are obtained through Recreation.gov.

Important! During the control season (late May through early September), permits on the Middle Fork are awarded through the Four Rivers Lottery, which accepts applications through Recreation.gov December 1 through January 31. Results are posted results in mid-February. Otherwise permits are granted on a first-come, first-served basis via advance reservation through Recreation.gov. These permits open up on October 1 for the following year.

Permits are awarded to both private parties (i.e. self-guided) and commercial parties (i.e. outfitters). If you book a trip trough an outfitter, you do not need to worry about the permit.

Can you raft the Middle Fork of the Salmon without a guide? Yes. Many private boaters run the river self-guided with their own permit (see permit requirements above!). It requires competent whitewater rafting or kayaking skills, since the river is largely continuous rather than pool-drop, meaning a flip or swim at high water requires active self-rescue.

How long does a Middle Fork Salmon trip take? Most groups run the full 100-mile trip in 6-8 days, camping along the way.

Where do you put in and take out? Put-in is at Boundary Creek (or Indian Creek during low water); takeout is at Cache Bar, near Salmon, Idaho.

Is there a map or app for navigating the Middle Fork? Yes. FarOut, in collaboration with gorafting.com, has published a detailed guide to the Middle Fork of the Salmon River that costs $19.99. This guide provides an offline, GPS-located map with every camp, rapid, hot spring, and point of interest along the full run. Learn more below.

New to FarOut? Start Here.

What is FarOut? FarOut is a navigation app that shows your live location on a map, even with no cell service. It’s used by hikers, paddlers, and rafters on trails and rivers around the world. FarOut started out in 2012 as a backpacking guide to the Pacific Crest Trail, and has grown to include hundreds of detailed hiking, biking, rafting, and paddling guides around the world.

Is FarOut a website or an app? Both. FarOut works as a phone or tablet app (iPhone, Android, iPad, Android tablet) and in a desktop browser, with the same content across every version.

Do I need internet or cell service to use it? Only once, to download a guide before your trip. After that, everything works fully offline.

What’s a “guide” inside FarOut? A guide is the map and waypoint data for one specific trail or river. This page is for the Middle Fork of the Salmon guide. FarOut also has detailed guides for hiking, biking, other rivers, and paddling routes.

How do I get started? Download the free FarOut app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, then purchase the Middle Fork of the Salmon guide inside the app or from our website before your trip.

FAQs: FarOut + Middle Fork of the Salmon

What do I get for $19.99? One purchase includes an offline, GPS-located map of the full 100-mile run from Boundary Creek to Cache Bar, with 250+ waypoints covering every listed rapid, camp, hot spring, airstrip, and point of interest, plus over 300 photos and comments from other boaters who’ve run the river.

Does the app work without cell service on the river? Yes. Maps and waypoints download to your device before you go, so your live GPS position tracks over the map with no signal required. This is helpful since the Middle Fork corridor has no cell coverage for nearly its entire length.

How is this different from a paper map or guidebook? A printed guide is fixed the day it’s published and can’t show you where you actually are on the water. This guide pairs the same level of detail you’d expect from a written guidebook: rapid names, class ratings, and scouting notes. Plus it provides live GPS positioning and is automatically updated between trips rather than waiting on a new print edition.

Is the information kept current when rapids change after high water or landslides? Waypoint comments let other FarOut users flag changes between official updates, which is useful on a river where rapids like Velvet Falls, Ramshorn, and Sulfur Slide have all been reshaped by recent debris flows and landslides.

Is this a one-time purchase, and which devices does it work on? The Middle Fork of the Salmon River Whitewater Rafting Guide is a one-time, lifetime purchase, including all future updates. It works on iPhone, Android, iPad, Android tablet, and desktop browser, and syncs across your devices once purchased.