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| Salmon River (California) | |
|---|---|
 Salmon River, California above the Wooley Creek confluence. | |
 Salmon River watershed (Interactive map) | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Confluence of North and South Forks |
| • location | Forks of Salmon |
| • coordinates | 41°15′24″N123°19′24″W / 41.25667°N 123.32333°W /41.25667; -123.32333[1] |
| • elevation | 1,180 ft (360 m) |
| Mouth | Klamath River |
• location | Somes Bar |
• coordinates | 41°22′39″N123°29′36″W / 41.37750°N 123.49333°W /41.37750; -123.49333[1] |
• elevation | 466 ft (142 m)[1] |
| Length | 19.6 mi (31.5 km)[2] |
| Basin size | 751 sq mi (1,950 km2) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Somes Bar, near mouth[3] |
| • average | 1,792 cu ft/s (50.7 m3/s)[4] |
| • minimum | 97.5 cu ft/s (2.76 m3/s) |
| • maximum | 133,000 cu ft/s (3,800 m3/s) |
| Designated | January 19, 1981 |
TheSalmon River is a 19.6-mile-long (31.5 km)[2] tributary to theKlamath River in westernSiskiyou County, California.
The river has its origins in the high mountains of theTrinity Alps,Russian Mountains, andMarble Mountains (all sub-ranges of the largerKlamath Mountains). The Salmon River comprises two forks, theNorth Fork and theSouth Fork, which join at the hamlet ofForks of Salmon, California to form the 19.6-mile (31.5 km) long mainstem Salmon River. A large tributary stream,Wooley Creek, joins the mainstem Salmon River about 4 miles (6 km) from its mouth atSomes Bar, and is nearly as large as the North Fork. The lower portion of the Salmon River's southwestern divide defines the boundary ofSiskiyou County andHumboldt County.
The river's 751-square-mile (1,950 km2)watershed is entirely within theKlamath National Forest, and less than two percent of the land area is privately owned. Nearly half of the watershed is federally protected wilderness area, including portions of theTrinity Alps Wilderness on the south, theRussian Wilderness on the east, and theMarble Mountain Wilderness on the north. Another twenty-five percent of the watershed is designated asLate Successional Reserve under theNorthwest Forest Plan and is managed to enhance and retainold-growth forest characteristics and habitat.
Unlike most other large California rivers, the Salmon is completely free flowing, with nodams or significant flow diversions of any kind. It is one of the most pristine areas in the Klamath River system and one of California's most pristine rivers. It retains the only viable population of wildspring Chinook salmon in the Klamath watershed and offers some of the bestWest Coast habitat for salmon, steelhead, green sturgeon, rainbow trout, Pacific lamprey, and other fish. The mainstem Salmon River, its North Fork, South Fork, and Wooley Creek are part of theNational Wild and Scenic Rivers System, having been designated by Secretary of the InteriorCecil D. Andrus in January 1981, who was acting on California governorJerry Brown's petition to add the rivers to the federal Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
Wildfires are the most significant mechanism of ecological change and one of the greatest threats to the river and its watershed. Fires are a natural part of thisecosystem, but are now often fueled by loggingslash and fuels accumulated through decades of fire suppression efforts and therefore burn much hotter, more intensely, and more frequently than they would otherwise naturally burn. Large fires in 1977, 1987, 1994, 2006, 2008, 2013, 2014, and 2017 have contributed to increasederosion, causing increases insediment in the river and its tributaries. The excessive sediment degrades the habitat of aquatic organisms, particularly forcoho salmon,Chinook salmon,sturgeon andsteelhead.
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