California Salmon Rafting

The water of the Wild and Scenic California Salmon is crystal clear, accenting the colors of the marble and granite it flows over. The side creeks on the Salmon often tumble down steep canyon walls next to lush vegetation clinging to the vertical faces. This Eden-like setting is the home of some of California’s finest whitewater. Also, known as the “Slammin Salmon”, the runs here are long, extremely fast, and quick paced in their procession. The consistent gradient of 47 feet/mile (greater than the main Tuolumne) causes white-knuckled paddlers to feel a sense of continuous acceleration. The rapids range from clean steep drops, huge standing wave trains, long boulder gardens and tight narrow turns. With three main stretches of this run (Methodist creek, Nordheimer, and Butler Creek), the salmon accommodates a broad range of intermediate to advanced skilled rafters. Good physical conditioning is required to participate, and rafting options include paddle raft, oar raft, and paddle assisted oar raft. The minimum age for rafting the California Salmon is 16 years, and we strongly recommend previous rafting experience. Depending on river flows, we may also request you to participate in a class V paddlers’ test. (Call for details.)

Our multi-day lodge trip on the Cal Salmon includes cabin lodging at Marble Mountain Ranch, all meals beginning with breakfast on your first day and ending with dinner on your last day. Wetsuit rental is also included in your fare. Our base camp trips include camping at Marble Mountain Ranch, shower house use, and meals in our ranch dining lodge.

The California Salmon is our home. When we combine our class-V river staff, our Klamath River-lodge home at the Marble Mountain Ranch, our deluxe accommodations and upscale ranch cuisine, we can offer you California’s most complete white water rafting experience. By choosing us, you can gain the experience of a local outfitter, and you can avoid that camp in the rain and poison oak after your class V rafting day. We will return you to our private cabins with clean linens, a hot shower and a phenomenal lodge dinner.

private cabin lodging, lodge meals, wetsuit rental is included. 2 days & 3 nights $569, 3 days & 4 nights: $849 Extend your lodge based trip an additional day with inflatable kayaking on Clear Creek – $250 meals, lodging, and kayaking.

A more budget minded Cal Salmon Rafting Trip can be planned by using our ranch camping facilities rather than the private cabins. You still can get a hot shower at our shower house, and meals are still done in our dining lodge. Bring your tent and bags if you would like to save a bit on your rafting budget.

Rates for Cal Salmon Rafting with a camping option: covered camp pavillion, lodge meals, and wetsuits use.
2 days & 3 nights: $379, 3 days & 4 nights: $539. Extend your base-camp stay an additional day with inflatable kayaking on Clear Creek – $179 meals, lodging, and kayaking.

DIFFICULTY: class IV-V, SEASON: April-June
TRIP LENGTH: 15-18 miles in 1-4 day itineraries done in combinations with the Cal Salmon at the same daily rates.

The Scott River offers nearly continuous class IV and V rapids that are often a bit more “technical” than it’s bigger water sister, the Salmon. Be prepared for cross river quick moves in front of steep drops, catapulting you into river-wide reversals. The scenery is excellent, when you can afford the luxury of diminished attention to the rapids! We suggest a Salmon and Scott combo for an unbeatable whitewater weekend. The Scott River is un-dammed and is dependent on snow melt to provide adequate rafting flows. The best bet for catching this river is to book early May. and be prepared for alternate itineraries since the smaller drainage makes this run a bit more volatile in catching the right water levels.