This rarely run section of the upper South Fork Salmon flows out of the northern Trinity Alps and has a character and feel that's different than other sections of river in the watershed. Although listed as a boating run in Dick Schwind's classic 1974 guidebook,
_West Coast River Touring_, this run is virtually unknown to modern boaters despite its accessibility, beauty, abundance of rapids, and amenable difficulty level. It goes by the name Upper South Fork Run or the more poetic Caribou Run. The run is constant gradient with few pools for its entire length.
The river has a big mountain feel near the abandoned mining town of Summerville with the snow-capped peaks of the high Trinity Alps as the upstream backdrop. The riverbed here is boulder-dominated, with a vast amount of these boulders having been flushed into the river in the late 1800s when gold miners washed the ancient river bars away with hydraulic cannons. Wood and logjams are common in this section, so be alert from the moment you put in, and check the
Salmon River Hazards Map before heading out.
Not far below Summerville the river winds its way into a narrow and sinuous gorge cut through a diversity of bedrock types. Some of the bends in this gorge are fairly tight, and sometimes these bends also collect wood. In particular, a small ledge drop located 1/4 mile downstream of the first bridge you'll paddle beneath has a persistent strainer on river right just below the ledge; this rapid deserves a look but is difficult to identify in advance due to the sharp bends in the river.
The river remains narrow and tight until a little ways upstream of Petersburg, an abandoned town that still hosts a Forest Service fire station. This section is also boulder-dominated and views open up in both upriver and downriver directions.
Although the mostly paved Caribou Road parallels the run, it is generally out-of-sight and not always easy to reach from the river, particularly in the run's sinuous upper gorge.
Once the South Fork is joined by the East Fork South Fork, its size increases significantly and the river bends southwestward then westward, widening and opening up as it runs alongside Cecilville Road. You will see signs of Cecilville before long and, after you float beneath the bridge on the upriver end of town, all the land for the next two miles is private and there is no public river access until you are downstream of Cecilville and then a little further still. This bridge is also the upstream limit of the river's state and federal Wild and Scenic designations (as if the reach upstream you just paddled was neither wild nor scenic).
Logistics
_Put-in_
There is no developed put-in for this run but the South Fork Trailhead is clearly the best starting point and avoids the nearby private properties. From Cecilville Road upriver of Cecilville, turn up Caribou Road by the East Fork Campground. Continue on the road, heading upriver along the South Fork almost to its end and park at the easily identified trailhead parking area. Despite its name, the South Fork Trail doesn't go to the river here so you'll have to hike a short distance off-trail from the parking area and down a steep slope to reach the river.
_Take-out_
The take-out for this section is immediately upriver of the 15-mile marker on Cecilville Road where a small, unmarked dirt road extends down almost to the river (the place is known to only a few locals as Lagarde). This is also the put-in for the
South Fork Gorge (IV/V) so be sure to get out here if you aren't intending to run the more difficult whitewater below. It's worth scouting the take-out before paddling so you don't miss it.
_Other access points_
Other possible river access points along this run include at the US Forest Service Petersburg Guard Station, at an undeveloped spot just upstream of the confluence with East Fork South Fork, and at a few roadside locations along Cecilville Road upstream of the town of Cecilville. Once you float into Cecilville, all riverside land is private property until you reach the 15-mile marker take-out about one mile below the far downriver end of Cecilville. Boater trespass has been an issue in Cecilville, so please use access points on public lands.
Flows
Because this run is high in the watershed and part of it is upstream of the East Fork South Fork confluence and the flow it provides, you will want to boat it when flows are on the higher end of the spectrum. About 6,000 to 8,000 cfs at the Somes Bar gage translates to a medium flow on the section of this run between the South Fork Trailhead and the East Fork South Fork confluence. The gage is about 40 miles downstream, so its correlation to flows this high up the South Fork varies depending upon rain and snowmelt dynamics in the watershed. There is an old-fashioned stick gage on the river left at the first bridge you encounter when driving upriver on Caribou Road. A reading of 2.3 feet represents a medium flow.
Amenities
Cecilville is home to the solar-powered
Salmon River Saloon but, unfortunately, the saloon is now closed except for a few random days in summer. If you luck out and it's open, don't miss out. There is a cardlock gas pump next to the saloon, but it is often inoperable so do not count on gassing up while here either, but maybe you'll get lucky.
Additional Information
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