Boater's Guide Map 8 Feature Descriptions

*Identifies major rapids of Class III and above.

[ North map | South map ]

187.8 Salmon Bar
Some beach area; large group.

188.0 Salmon Falls
Beach, no shade; large group.

166.3 Geology Note. Salmon River
The Salmon River is free-flowing from its headwaters to its confluence with the Snake. Some geologists believe that, about 2 million years ago, the Salmon was the major river and the Snake was its tributary.

166.3 Salmon Mouth
Beach, little shade, no water; large group.

169.2 Historical Note: Proposed Dam Site, 1958
The letters "HMPNP" and white marks painted on the rocks indicate the location of the 670-foot High Mountain Sheep Darn, part of a project proposed by the Pacific Northwest Power Company in 1958.

169.6 Historical Note: Sinking of the lmnaha, Mtn. Sheep Rapids
There are iron rings set in the rocks on both sides of the river. Cables were attached to the rings to help winch steamboats up through the rapids. When the cable became entangled, disabling the paddlewheel the Imnaha drifted back into the rapids, turned crosswise in the current, lodged between the canyon walls and broke up.

190.4 Knight Creek
Good landing, shade, water; large group.

191.2 Fargo Camp
Swift water for raft landing. Poor powerboat landing. No water; large group.

191.4 Historical Note: Eureka Mining Camp and Steamboat Landing During the first decade of the 20th century, the upper end of Eureka Bar was the location of the joint Fargo and Eureka company mining camps, and town site was established at the lower end of the bar. The stair-step foundation of the stamp mill/smelter and the foundation of the hotel/bunkhouse can still be seen. The steamboat landing used by the Imnaha and Mountain Gem was on the bar just below Eureka Creek.

191.6 lmnaha Rapids
Class III in lower flows; heavy waves, some rocky areas. Washes out at high flows.

191.7 lmnaha
Poor powerboat landing, pull in above the Imnaha confluence. Shade, no water; medium group.

191.9 Historical Note: Mountain Chief Mine Tunnel
The 740-foot Mountain Chief Mine tunnel cuts clear through a ridge just above the confluence of the Snake and Imnaha rivers. The tunnel, complet- ed in 1903, follows a mineralized zone, containing copper and iron, which formed along a fault. Part of the Eureka Mining, Smelting & Power Co. holdings. Gates have been installed in the tunnel to provide for visitor safety and protect endangered Townsend's big-eared bats that use the mine as a hibernaculurn during the winter months.

192.4 China Bar
Beach; large group.

192.5 Historical Note. Low Mountain Sheep Dam
A 1954 proposal included a 275-foot concrete, gravity-type hydroelectric dam below China Gulch to act as a regulator for peak releases from the Pleasant Valley Dam upriver.

193.2 Archaeology Note: Divide Creek
Artifacts uncovered when University of Idaho archaeologists excavated a site at the mouth of Divide Creek were dated at about 6,000 years old.

193.2 Divide Creek
Low-water site above mouth of creek. Water, shade; large group.

194.0 Zig Zag
Beach, no water; small group.

195.1 *Warm Springs Rapids
Class II, Class III at high flow levels.

196.2 Dug Bar
Rocky landing, road access, toilet, no water; medium group.

196.6 Dug Bar Landing
Primitive boat launch area, high-clearance 4WD road access. Toilet, no water; rnedium group.

196.7 Geology Note: Bonneville Flood
Gray gravels, deposited by the Bonneville Flood, are visible on the hillside about 200 feet above the river on the Idaho side.

196.7 Historical Note: Nez Perce Crossing
In the spring of 1877, the Nez Perce bands from the Wallowa Valley were ordered by the U.S. Government to leave their homeland and go to the reservation in Lapwai, Idaho. They crossed the river safely with their families, all their belongings, horses and cattle at Dug Bar in full spring flood .

198.1 Dug Creek
Water, small site; small group.

198.4 Robinson Gulch
Shade, no water; large group.