Silver granite, emerald water, and four miles of exceptional Class III+ rapids--with one IV--make the Butler Run on the Salmon River (Karuk: Masúhsav) one of the more spectacular pieces of whitewater anywhere on the planet. The run is pool-drop character but several of the rapids are long and, at medium to high flows the pace is quick. At low to medium flows there is a lot of good play.
Butler is actually steeper and more confined than its more infamous and more difficult upstream counterpart, the
Nordheimer Run, and locals who paddle both sections regularly will tell you that while Nordheimer has three rapids bigger than anything on Butler and an even bigger reputation, that Butler is actually the more fun run. They'll also tell you that every boating trip on Nordheimer should continue through Butler because the good whitewater keeps going, so why get out?
The fun starts right away at Butler Creek River Access put-in with boats launching straight into Butler Ledge Rapid. The top mile of the run is action-packed with multiple surf waves, playspots, and a lot of rapids. It's possible to lap the top mile easily using Inga's as the endpoint, but the great whitewater continues for three more miles all the way to the take-out at Brannon Bar. However, boaters that aren't feeling comfortable with the top mile of the run should consider exiting the river at Inga's to avoid the must-run Class IV Marble Rapid (Gaping Maw) downriver. There is no reasonable exit from the granite-walled river canyon after Inga's until just below Marble Rapid. But hopefully everyone is having a great time and keeps on going!
The action picks up again right away after Inga's with alternating drops and pools as the river follows the edges of a granite batholith that lies near the geographic center of the Klamath Mountain Range. This granite is reminiscent of the Sierra Nevada and is likely related to that rock in its origin but here it is silver, not gold in color. The granite and its metasedimentary host rock provides the substrate the river needs to form great bedrock and boulder rapids throughout this run. Great rock and great water make a great run!
Logistics
This is a great run for bike shuttling and, unlike most of the roads in the Salmon River watershed, the paved Salmon River Road is two-lane and has guardrails along this reach.
*Put-in*
Put-in at Butler Creek River Access between the six and seven-mile markers on Salmon River Road.
*Take-out*
Take-out at the Brannons Bar River Access off Salmon River Road between the three and four-mile markers. The parking area is across from the signed river access road that goes to the boat loading zone.
WARNING: To drive back upriver from the Brannons Bar take-out loading zone,
turn left onto Salmon River Road and then use the large turnaround/parking area on the right to safely reverse direction to head upriver. Do not turn right onto Salmon River Road when coming uphill from from the loading zone, as doing so requires swinging wide into the oncoming lane at a blind curve where oncoming vehicles often travel fast.
Flows
This run is at medium flows between 1,200 and 4,500 cfs on the Somes Bar gage. It is still easily done in a kayak at 800 cfs, but is undeniably low. Inflatable kayaks and packrafts will find a yet lower bottom end, and sometimes can run this well into summer. The run gets big and fast above 4,500 cfs with lines widening and features mostly smoothing out at high flows even as their scale grows large. The main issue with high water runs is that there are no breaks or slow spots so a swimmer may go a long ways downstream, and at very high flows, there's a real risk that lost gear could never be retrieved. Kayaks and rafts have run this in excess of 15,000 cfs.
Additional Info
Salmon River Restoration Council's Whitewater Recreation Page - great overview and detail on the whitewater of the Salmon River drainage
Salmon River Hazard Map - map of known hazards in the river and tributaries
Creature Craft run at 10,000 cfs (video)