Klamath River (Salmon & Steelhead)
Del Norte / Siskiyou · near Klamath / Happy Camp · North Coast
Fishing · Rivers & Whitewater
At a glance
- Difficulty
- advanced
- Best season
- Salmon fall · steelhead fall–winter (half-pounders Aug–Oct)
- Season
- April–October · Best May–August · Lower sections run year-round at reduced levels
Permits and booking
- Licence required
- Yes
- Licence detail
- CA license (16+) required; Steelhead Report Card for steelhead. The Klamath, freed by the largest dam removal in US history (2024), is a recovering salmon/steelhead river. Regulations are dynamic post-dam-removal — check current rules. Famous 'half-pounder' steelhead run.
- Permit
- Commercial outfitter permits through USFS and BLM. Private boaters: some sections permit required, others free. The Klamath runs free for most of its length — major dam removals (2023-2024) have restored significant river sections to natural flow.
What is here
- Features
- Freed by historic dam removal (2024) · Recovering salmon runs · Famous half-pounder steelhead · Wild far-north river
- Activities
- guided-rafting · kayaking · multi-day
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Good for a first timer
- No
- Minimum age
- 4 (Lower sections/family trips) · 12+ (Upper/technical sections)
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Guides, rentals and operators
- Operators
- Bigfoot Rafting · Momentum River Expeditions · Klamath River Outfitters
- Outfitters
- OARS · Klamath River Outfitters · Tributary Whitewater Tours
Fishing detail
- Water type
- river
- Water
- fresh
- Methods
- Drift · Fly · Bait
- Boat
- both
- Target species
- King salmon (fall run) · Steelhead (half-pounders & adults) · Coho (protected) · Trout
- Intl tip
- License required (Steelhead Report Card). Post-dam-removal (2024) the river is recovering — regs are dynamic, so check current rules before you go. Fall salmon; the famous 'half-pounder' steelhead (Aug–Oct) are a fun fly target. Drift boats and bank access. A historic river to fish. Combine with the redwoods.
Rivers & Whitewater detail
- Class min
- I
- Class max
- IV
- Trip options
- Half-day · Full day · 2–6 day multi-day wilderness float
- Key rapids
- Ishi Pishi Falls (Class V+) · Calavan's Riffle (Class II-III) · Upper Klamath (Class III-IV)
- Intl tip
- The Klamath River's northern California canyon is one of the least-visited corners of the state — it's not near any major highway and doesn't lead to any famous destination. That remoteness is the point. The Trees of Mystery attraction in Klamath town (giant Paul Bunyan statue, gondola through old-growth redwoods) is a genuinely enjoyable kitschy California road trip stop. The Redwood National and State Parks are 40 minutes from the river mouth.
The guide
The Klamath River is living history — in 2024, the largest dam-removal project in US history freed this great river, and within…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Klamath River (Salmon & Steelhead) — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 41.527, -123.988