Middle Fork 6 Day Details
6 Day Expedition : (6 Days/5 Nights, 100 or 75 River Miles) Headquarters & Starting Point Mountain Village Lodge, Stanley, Idaho. 83278; 1-800-843-5475 or 208-774-3661. Meet at the Mountain Village Lodge at about 8:00 p.m. the evening before the trip. When you arrive at the Mountain Village Lodge, please check in with the desk to inform them that you will be making a trip with us, and to check for any messages we might have left for you. At the meeting, we discuss the trip, check out trip gear, arrange vehicle and luggage storage, and handle any last minute details. We recommend making reservations at the Mountain Village Lodge at the same time you reserve spaces on your river trip. Let them know you are traveling with Hughes River Expeditions. Traveling to Stanley Stanley, Idaho, can be reached by automobile and by charter flight. If you are driving, Stanley is located at the junction of Scenic Routes 21 and 75 at the foot of the Sawtooth Mountains. 130 miles from Boise on Highway 21. If you plan to fly with a commercial airline to Idaho, we recommend that you fly to Boise, Idaho. From Boise, you have the following options: Option 1. Weekly car
rentals are available from the Boise Airport. (National, Budget, Avis, Hertz,
Dollar, etc.) Put-in/Beginning the Trip Put-in for the Middle Fork varies with water, road, and weather conditions. Whenever possible, we put-in at Boundary Creek (near Dagger Falls). We provide bus transportation from Stanley to the river (43 miles) with Caldwell Bus Company www.ctcbus.com/rivershuttles. However, for the safety of the trip, we sometimes put-in downstream at the Indian Creek Airfield. When we fly with bush pilots to Indian Creek, the cost of the flight (approximately $95/person depending on airplane fuel cost) is not included in the trip price. Early June dates occasionally require flights due to road closures or high water conditions. Late August dates often require flights due to low water flows. September trips are planned to begin at Indian Creek. Take-out/End of Trip Early afternoon the last day of the trip, we take-out at Cache Bar on the Main Salmon River, about three miles below the Mouth of the Middle Fork. From take-out, we provide bus transportation back to Stanley and the Mountain Village Lodge. 190 miles and about 4 1/2 hours driving time. Plan to arrive in Stanley about 6:00 p.m. End of Trip Options Following are options you have at the end of your trip:
Reservations For Charter Flights If it is necessary to fly to put-in the first day of the trip, we make the arrangements with Arnold Aviation. However, you need to make your own charter flight arrangements in and out of Stanley or Salmon before and after your trip. Fishing
Only artificial flies and lures with single barbless hooks are allowed. No bait fishing is allowed. We flatten the barbs with pliers on conventional hooks to conform to the rules. Recommended fly patterns include: Bucktailed-Caddis, Adams, Renegade, Irresistible, Humpy, Goofus, Sofa Pillow, Royal Wolff, Stimulator, Hopper, etc. in medium sizes (#12, #16,...) You can purchase an Idaho fishing license and tackle from McCoy's Tackle Shop in Stanley. 208-774-3377. Jane McCoy runs a superb fishing shop. You can call her to chat about fishing. You can also purchase an Idaho fishing license directly from Idaho Fish & Game Dept. 800-554-8685 or www.state.id.us/fishgame. Cost is $11.50 for the 1st day, and $5/day for each additional day. Juniors (14-17 years of age) can purchase a junior fishing license for $13.75/teen/season. Vehicle & Luggage Storage You can store your vehicle & luggage at the Mountain Village Lodge. You can also arrange to have luggage transported to meet you in Salmon after the trip if you will fly from Salmon to Boise. Weather The Middle Fork begins at 5700 feet elevation, and we can experience frost our 1st night on the river. Typically, days are hot and nights are cool. Study our Gear List carefully, and call the office with questions. Weather in the Central Idaho Mountains is very unpredictable, and you need to be well-prepared. Trip Insurance and Responsibility We encourage the purchase of Trip Cancellation, Accident, and Baggage Insurance Policies. These policies cover cancellation, personal property, and personal injury. Many insurance companies offer such policies. HUGHES RIVER EXPEDITIONS, Inc. spares nothing to assure that all trips we outfit are the safest and best outfitted expeditions available. Our safety record is excellent. However, river running is not without some risk, and you as a potential river runner must be willing to assume some risk. HUGHES RIVER EXPEDITIONS, Inc. assumes no responsibility whatsoever for your personal safety or for damage or loss of your equipment. Recreation Fee: The Salmon-Challis National Forest has required that we collect an 'Extra Use Fee authorized under the Recreation Fee Project'. The charge is $4.00/person/day. It cannot be a part of our trip cost and will show as a separate line item on your invoice. The money collected as a result of this fee will go to maintaining the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. Middle Fork Books, Maps and Pamphlets Available through the Hughes Company Store FLY FISHING ON THE MIDDLE FORK |
The Middle Fork
of the Salmon makes a superb family river rafting trip. Extended families often
enjoy the Middle Fork with everyone from grandparents to grandchildren along.
Highlights include rafting and kayaking whitewater, exploring Sheepeater Indian
cultural sites and abandoned homesteads, fly fishing for westslope cutthroat
trout, and enjoying a pristine river canyon. 
The Middle
Fork is a "blue ribbon" Westslope Cutthroat Trout fishery. Fishing is normally
good from early July on. Fishing is best in late summer (late August and
September). Regulations are 'catch and release'.
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