Cal Salmon

Bird’s Eye View

The California Salmon River, or “Cal Salmon” for short, flows through the California Coast Range in the Trinity Alps. The Cal Salmon is located one of the most remote wilderness areas in California and all three forks, as well as a tributary, Wooley Creek, are federally protected under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. The Cal Salmon is no doubt one of the state’s best kept secrets.

Cal Salmon River Whitewater Photo Gallery

The Cal Salmon in a Nutshell

Difficulty: Nordheimer: IV+ (3 V’s); Butler: IV

Gradient: 54 ft/mi

Length: 10 miles, alternate run options

Season: March – June

Put-in: Norheimer

Take-out: Oak Bottom

Who should go: Expert kayakers and rafters, wilderness lovers, folks who want to “get away from it all.”

Whitewater & Scenery

“Remote,” “scenic,” and “extreme” hardly even begin to describe the Cal Salmon. Boasting some of the best whitewater in California, the Cal Salmon is the next step up in difficulty from other California rafting classics.

River Flows

The season for rafting or kayaking on the Cal Salmon is usually in the spring, although it is a free-flowing river and is definitely runnable in the winter as well.