Salmon River (Cascade Mountains)

A beautiful river canyon located in the Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness in the northern Oregon Cascades. The headwaters drain the southern slopes of Mt. Hood. While a popular kayak run in the early season, later in the summer the flow subsides and becomes a worthy canyon destination. While not a super technical canyon, teams should have their swiftwater game on. Even in late summer, the current can quickly become strong in the narrow parts of the canyon, or when passing between obstacles. Expect a lot of water, making this a more advanced canyon destination than many others in the region. A great creek to run on a 100F degree day in town. The closest, live USGS river gauge appears to be Sandy River near Marmot, OR.

Follow the Salmon River Trail for about 4.3mi. Just before the final approach to Goat Creek, watch carefully for an obvious user trail (unsigned) dropping down the slopes to your right. Follow this winding trail downward (~0.1mi) to a campsite right at the Goat-Salmon confluence. This makes a great spot to suit up. The fun begins immediately downstream.

There are a number of smaller downclimbs / boulder gardens / obstacles that not described in the beta. Usually these can be easily bypassed on one side or the other. There are numerous opportunities for floating, but use caution when nearing swiftwater features/hazards. Not far ahead the river plunges into a watery chasm. This is Vanishing Falls, which might be the crux of the descent. In high water, this section could be quite dangerous. It is possible to follow game trails DCR to a large tree and rappel back in downstream of R2 (~80ft). Just ahead, the canyon narrows and the current picks up speed for a short distance for a fun float.