Trinity River (Steelhead & Salmon)
Trinity County · near Weaverville / Lewiston · Shasta Cascade
Fishing · Rivers & Whitewater
At a glance
- Difficulty
- advanced
- Best season
- Steelhead fall–spring · salmon fall
- Season
- April–August · Peak May–July on snowmelt · Pigeon Point family section runs longer
Permits and booking
- Licence required
- Yes
- Licence detail
- CA license (16+) required; Steelhead Report Card for steelhead. The Trinity, a Klamath tributary, is a legendary swing-water steelhead river — a fly-fishing classic. Drift-boat and bank access; the upper river below Lewiston is trophy trout water.
- Permit
- Commercial outfitter permits through USFS Six Rivers National Forest. Private boaters: no permit required for most sections. Wild and Scenic River designation protects the corridor.
What is here
- Features
- Classic swung-fly steelhead river · Fall king salmon · Trophy trout below Lewiston · Wild, forested canyon
- Activities
- guided-rafting · kayaking · multi-day
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Good for a first timer
- No
- Minimum age
- 5 (family sections) · 14+ (advanced sections)
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Guides, rentals and operators
- Operators
- Bigfoot Rafting · Trinity River Rafting · Redwoods & Rivers
- Outfitters
- Sierra South Mountain Sports · Bigfoot Rafting Company
Fishing detail
- Water type
- river
- Water
- fresh
- Methods
- Fly · Drift · Bait
- Boat
- both
- Target species
- Steelhead (fly-fishing classic) · King salmon (fall run) · Coho (protected) · Wild trout
- Intl tip
- License required (Steelhead Report Card). A classic swung-fly steelhead river (fall–spring) — a fly-fishing rite of passage. Fall salmon too; trophy trout below Lewiston Dam. Drift boats and bank access. Less crowded than coastal rivers. Combine with Trinity Lake and the Alps. Hire a guide to learn the swing.
Rivers & Whitewater detail
- Class min
- II
- Class max
- V
- Trip options
- Half-day · Full day · Multi-day wilderness float
- Key rapids
- Burnt Ranch Gorge (Class IV-V) · Pigeon Point Section (Class II-III) · Big Flat Run (Class III-IV)
- Intl tip
- Willow Creek, the Trinity River base town, is in Bigfoot country — the community takes the Bigfoot legend seriously and the Willow Creek Bigfoot Museum (free, in the public library) is worth 30 minutes. The combination of Trinity River rafting, Humboldt Redwoods State Park (an hour west), and the Lost Coast (2 hours) makes for one of California's great multi-day NorCal road trips.
The guide
The Trinity River is one of California's most beloved steelhead rivers — a Klamath tributary winding through the forested canyo…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Trinity River (Steelhead & Salmon) — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 40.73, -123.11