Tower Rock - North Fork

This is one very big stretch of river to compress into a single map page. There will be no lack of narrative material available here.

This is the place to mention that boaters are exiting Salmon Valley and swinging away from the highway into one of the lushed riparian gallery forests on the river.  This is a very wildlife rich area and it's possible to see both elk and moose here.  We did. In fact, a herd of elk galloped in the river in front of our boat.  That might make a real nice photo for this guide.

As the river leaves Salmon Valley is deposits some substantial log jams here and there along this stretch.  The map doesn't adequately show how the river braids itself here.  The braids are not as pronounced as those in Round Valley and between Shoup Bridge and Salmon but they are braids nonetheless.  Boaters need to do some "heads up" paddling in this area to make sure they are entering a viable channel that will not deposit them at the foot of a log jam.

Red Rock is a sweet piece of geology and should be duly noted.  Also since the RAP is a veritable cornucopia of information about Rocky Mountain big horn sheep, it would be agood place to talk about those critters again here. Likewise, the generosity of the Turners might warrant a mention.  It's a great RAP and a very picturesque spot on the river.

The river is pretty straightforward here.  There are some places where boaters need to exercise caution in picking which channel to use.  We suspect the channels change with each runoff season.  What is deep this year might be shallow next year.  This is a heavily fished area for steelhead because of the "breaks" below each of the small gravel bars.  In this type of area, the river reinvents itself after each high water episode.

Discussion needs to focus on

The rock face at the 4th of July RAP
The 4th of July RAP itself
The two iron bridges
The Bobcat Gulch RAP
Wagonhammer RV Park
The different topographical ocntext through which the river flows.
Cottonwood blow downs
The North Fork RAP
A brief mention of the Wild & Scenic River below.

The North Fork RAP is quite a story and deserves some discussion.  As you know, the RAP was once located upriver on the other side of the North Fork.  New owners shut down that RAP.  Boaters were then forced to travel through Deadwater to reach another public access.

Meanwhile new owners aacquired the North Fork Store and approached IDFG about allowing access to a RAP if IDFG would build it.  IDFG negotiated a 25-year lease and built a really first class RAP behind the extensive commercial operation at North Fork.