Lower Salmon River - Minimum Impact Camping

You affect this river canyon when you pass through. River users come to the Lower Salmon for many reasons, but none of them come expecting to find beaches fouled with human waste or litter. This river cannot survive you if you don't work to protect it. Passing through without a trace is a challenge. Here's how you can help care for the river:

Trash

Take out everything you bring in. Spend a few extra minutes to scout your camp and pick up litter that may have been left behind by others. Remember, cigarette butts, twist ties and food scraps are trash. Carry them out!

Human Waste

It is mandatory to carry out all solid human waste with a system that can be emptied into an appropriate treatment facility such as a trailer dump station, home toilet or a Sanitizing Container with Advanced Technology (SCAT) machine. Plastic bags may not be used to store or transport human waste. Information about appropriate, inexpensive methods to dispose of human waste is available from the BLM. Please urinate only on wet sand. Urinating on hot, dry sand or rocks creates an offensive odor and attracts insects.

Fires

Fire pans are required for all camp and cooking fires. However, there are no specifications for fire pans. You may use the equipment and methods that work best for you as long as you keep the beaches clean and carry out all ashes and left-over, unburned trash. Placing your fire pan on rocks while in use will prevent scorching the sand. Gather only driftwood for fires. Scatter any unused firewood away from camp before leaving.

Sand Anchor

To avoid moving big rocks to tie up a boat, consider making a sand anchor. These can be as simple as a two-feet long piece of reinforcement bar, or "re-bar," available at hardware stores, with a 90° angle bend about six inches from one end. Sand anchors pushed deep into sand provide a secure boat tie-up. They are also easy on your back and light on the land. If you must use rocks to anchor your boat or tents, remove the rocks from the beach before leaving camp.

Dish Water

Food bits left in camp are a magnet for biting insects. Bring along a strainer or piece of screen to filter bits of food from dishwater. Scatter the strained water into vegetation away from camp or dig a hole in the sand above the high water line, strain your dishwater into it and cover the hole when you finish.

Bathing

During the summer you can reduce the need to bathe by swimming frequently in the river. However, if you need to bathe, do so away from the river and use biodegradable soap. Do not allow any water containing soap, biodegradable or otherwise, to get into rivers or streams.