Story and Photos by Angler Guide
Few
places in America, and nowhere outside of Alaska, provide a
Wilderness experience to match the sheer magnitude of the Salmon
River often referred as "River of No Return", the second largest unit of the National
Wilderness Preservation System in the Lower 48 (second in size
only to California's Death Valley Wilderness). This area combines
the old Idaho Primitive Area, the Salmon River Breaks Primitive Area,
territory on six national forests, and a small swath of land
managed by the BLM.
Senator Frank Church played a key role in the passage of the
Wilderness Act of 1964, and his name was added to the Wilderness
in 1984, shortly before his death.
It is a land of clear rivers, deep canyons, and rugged
mountains. Rich in the history of the west, this area was the
winter home of the Nez Perce Indians, the haunt of early Chinese
placer miners, and domicile to nineteenth century homesteaders and
outlaws.
This vast rugged area containing more than forty high mountain
lakes, rises from 3,500' on the canyon bottoms of the famous
Salmon and Middle Fork Rivers to over 10,000' on Mt. McGuire.
Rainbows, cutthroats, graylings, and brook trout as well as the
illusive golden trout abound in this area.
The Main Salmon River, which runs west near the northern
boundary; and the Middle Fork of the Salmon, which begins near the
southern boundary and runs north for about 104 miles until it
joins the Main. Reaching 6,300 feet from the river bottom, the
canyon carved by the Main Salmon is deeper than most of the
earth's canyons--including the Grand Canyon of the Colorado
River--and this fast-moving waterway has been dubbed the River
of No Return.
1999
"Women with Bait" Steelhead Derby Winner, from
Riggins, Idaho.
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In the northeastern corner of the Wilderness,
the Selway River flows north into the nearby Selway-Bitterroot
Wilderness. Trout fishing usually rates from good to excellent.
The Middle Fork, the Selway, and a portion of the Main Salmon are
Wild and Scenic Rivers. Unlike the sheer walls of the Grand
Canyon, these rivers rush below wooded ridges rising steeply
toward the sky, beneath eroded bluffs and ragged, solitary crags.
The Salmon River Mountains dominate the interior of the
Wilderness. Without a major crest, these mountains splay out in a
multitude of minor crests in all directions, and rise gradually to
wide summits. East of the Middle Fork, the fabulous Bighorn Crags
form a jagged series of summits, at least one topping 10,000 feet.
The Bighorns surround 14 strikingly beautiful clearwater lakes.
Hiking up from the rivers into the mountains brings sudden
elevation changes.
Great forests of Douglas fir and lodgepole pine cover much of
the area, with spruce and fir higher up and ponderosa pine at
lower altitudes. The forests are broken by grassy meadows and
sun-washed, treeless slopes.
In
2000 Fires rampaged many areas of the Frank Church "River
of No Return".
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A dry country, as little as 15 inches of precipitation falls
near the rivers. As much as 50 inches may fall on the
mountaintops, but much of it is snow. Despite the dryness,
wildlife abounds. As many as 370 species have been identified in a
single year, including eight big game animals. A network of 296
maintained trails (approximately 2,616 miles worth) provides
access to this seemingly endless area, crossing rivers and streams
on 114 bridges. This is a paradise for horse-packers. Thirty-two
Forest Service Roads lead to 66 trailheads. Despite the extensive
trail system, an amazing 1.5 million acres remains trail-free.
Small planes are allowed to land on several primitive airstrips
dating back to the days before Wilderness designation. Jet boats
are allowed on the Main Salmon.
