California Salmon River (Cal Salmon)
Klamath National Forest (Siskiyou County) · near Somes Bar / Orleans · Shasta Cascade
Rivers & Whitewater
At a glance
- Season
- April–June · Free-flowing, rain/snowmelt-dependent — not every year has a season
Permits and booking
- Permit
- Klamath National Forest / remote wilderness run. Free-flowing; flows depend entirely on snowmelt and rain. Long shuttle. Experienced-boater and expert-guided runs only.
What is here
- Activities
- guided-rafting · kayaking
Worth knowing
- Minimum age
- 15+ (Class V sections require experience)
- Good for a first timer
- No
Guides, rentals and operators
- Operators
- Momentum River Expeditions · Six Rivers Rafting · All-Outdoors
- Outfitters
- Six Rivers Rafting · Momentum River Expeditions
Rivers & Whitewater detail
- Nickname
- The Wild Class V of the North
- Class min
- IV
- Class max
- V
- Trip options
- Day trips (Nordheimer, Butler runs) · Multi-day expeditions in high years
- Key rapids
- Gaping Maw · Bloomer Falls / Freight Train (Nordheimer) · Cascade / Last Chance
- Intl tip
- The Cal Salmon is deep in Siskiyou County's wild northwest — combine with the Klamath (this guide) and the far-north redwoods and Lost Coast (hiking guide). This is one of California's least-visited corners; the town of Somes Bar is the tiny hub. Book early — outfitter trips are limited.
The guide
The California Salmon — the 'Cal Salmon' — is one of the West's great wild rivers: short, fierce, and utterly remote, tucked in…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to California Salmon River (Cal Salmon) — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 41.377, -123.256