Pittsburg Landing to Heller Bar
Idaho – US Oregon – US Washington – US
- Class
- II to III
- Length
- 46 Mile(s)
- Put-in elevation
- 1,137 Feet
- Take-out elevation
- 832 Feet
- Typical season
- January to December
Current Flow
18,500 CFS
Gauge height: 6.63 FT
Reading from Jul 10, 2026 9:45 PM
▼ -191.67/hr (12h) ▼ -95.83/hr (24h)
Hit some laps
- Primary gauge
- SNAKE RIVER BL MCDUFF RAPIDS AT CHINA GARDENS, ID Gauge detail & alternatives Live gauge ↗
Recommended levels
| Minimum | 6,000 |
| Average | 30,000 |
| Maximum | 80,000 |
Recommended use
- Kayaking
- Rafting
- Canoeing
- SUP
- Packrafting
- Fishing
Struck-through craft are not recommended for this run.
Flow history — last 6 days
No gauge history recorded in the last 6 days.
Photos
No photos added for this run yet.
Description
The snake river is considered a scenic river at this point. This is still a remote canyon with many class II rapids and camps. Many boaters float this section by continuing from the Hells Canyon run, putting in at Pittsburg Landing, or floating in from the lower Salmon River where it joins the Snake River in this section.
There are many Jetboats on this section of river so make sure to not enter any rapids if the jet boat has already commited to running the rapid.
Rapids
| # | Rapid | Class | Recommended flow | Description | Scout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lower Pittsburg Rapid | II | 5,000–80,000 | Follow the main wavetrain downriver |
Read and run |
| 2 | Upper Pleasant Valley Rapid | II | 5,000–80,000 | Right channel is more rocky and left channel can be run too. |
Read and run |
| 3 | Lower Pleasant Valley Rapid | II | 5,000–80,000 | A long stretch of class II water. |
Read and run |
| 4 | Davis Creek Rapid | II | 5,000–80,000 | Read and run |
|
| 5 | Unnamed Rapid | II | 5,000–80,000 | Read and run |
|
| 6 | Somers Creek Rapid | II | 5,000–80,000 | Read and run |
|
| 7 | Cottonwood Rapid | II | 5,000–80,000 | Read and run |
|
| 8 | Lookout Creek Rapid | II | 5,000–80,000 | Run wavetrain on left side, rockier and shallow on right. |
Read and run |
| 9 | Lower Lookout Creek Rapid | II | 5,000–80,000 | Run towards the left again. |
Read and run |
| 10 | Highrange Rapid | II | 5,000–80,000 | Follow the V from river right to river left going with the flow |
Read and run |
| 11 | Copper Creek Rapid | II | 5,000–80,000 | Read and run |
|
| 12 | Roland Bar Rapid | II | 5,000–80,000 | Read and run |
|
| 13 | Wolf Creek Rapid | II | 5,000–80,000 | Read and run |
|
| 14 | Five Pine Rapid | II | 5,000–80,000 | Read and run |
|
| 15 | Unnamed Rapid | II | 5,000–80,000 | ||
| 16 | Dry Creek Rapid | II | 5,000–80,000 | Choose either channel around the island. |
Read and run |
| 17 | Unnamed Rapid | II | 5,000–80,000 | ||
| 18 | Big Sulphur Rapid | II | 5,000–80,000 | ||
| 19 | Boulder Rapid | II | 5,000–80,000 | Read and run |
|
| 20 | Deep Creek Rapid | II | 5,000–80,000 | Read and run |
|
| 21 | Unnamed Rapid | II | 5,000–80,000 | ||
| 22 | Robinson Gulch Rapid | II | 5,000–80,000 | Read and run |
|
| 23 | Dug Creek Rapid | II | 5,000–80,000 | ||
| 24 | Lower Dug Bar Rapid | II | 5,000–80,000 | Left channel and run has deeper water. |
Read and run |
| 25 | Warm Springs Rapid | II to II+ | 5,000–80,000 | Read and run |
|
| 26 | White Horse Rapid | II | 5,000–80,000 | Read and run |
|
| 27 | Zig Zag Rapid | II | 5,000–80,000 | Read and run |
|
| 28 | Divide Creek Rapid | II | 5,000–80,000 | Read and run |
|
| 29 | Imnaha Rapid | III | 5,000–80,000 | Look at running right of center |
Read and run |
| 30 | Unnamed Rapid | II | 5,000–80,000 | ||
| 31 | Mountain Sheep Rapid | II | 5,000–80,000 | Read and run |
|
| 32 | Salmon River Falls Rapid | II | 5,000–80,000 | This long wave train, with strong eddy turbulence, is often congested. Take precautions to avoid power boat and float boat mishaps |
Read and run |
| 33 | Frenchy Rapid | II | 5,000–80,000 | Read and run |
|
| 34 | Cook Creek Rapid | II | 5,000–80,000 | Big class II water |
read and run |
| 35 | Cougar Bar Rapids | II | 5,000–80,000 | ||
| 36 | McDuff Rapid | II | 5,000–80,000 | Large waves at the top, littered with rocks at the bottom. |
Read and run |
| 37 | Shovel Creek Rapid | II | 5,000–80,000 | Good sized waves with a few rocks and holes. |
Read and run |
| 38 | Wild Goose Rapid | II | 5,000–80,000 | Short drop with turbulent waves |
Read and run |
| 39 | Deer Head Rapids | II | 5,000–80,000 | Long string of large waves which get bigger as river flows drop. |
Read and run |
| 40 | Limekiln Rapid | II | 5,000–80,000 |
Access
| Type | Name | Elevation | Camping | Water | Boat ramp | Vehicle access | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Put-In | Pittsburg Landing | 1,137 Feet | No | No | No | All Vehicles | See description here for access info. |
| Put-In | Dug Bar Boat Ramp | 1,002 Feet | Yes | No | Yes | 4WD Only | An access option for this portion of the snake. |
| Take-Out | Heller Bar Boat Ramp | 832 Feet | No | No | Yes | All Vehicles | This take-out and launch site features a concrete boat ramp, toilets, and parking. From here it is 21 miles to Asotin, Washington via graveled and paved road. |
Camps
| Camp | Fee | Beach | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pleasant Valley Camps | No | No | Several camp options exist here on river right. |
| Davis Creek Camp | No | No | River left |
| McCarty Creek Camp | No | No | On river left |
| Big Canyon Camp | No | No | River right |
| Lower Big Canyon Camp | No | No | River right |
| Somers Creek Camp | No | No | River left just above the Somers Creek outlet |
| Small Camp | No | No | River left |
| Tryon Creek Camp | No | No | River left |
| Lookout Creek Camp | No | No | River left |
| Getta Creek Camp | No | Yes | River right |
| Ragtown Bar Camps | No | Yes | Camps on river right above and below the Copper Creek Rapid |
| Bob Creek Camp | No | Yes | On river left. |
| Above Thorn Creek Camp | No | No | River right |
| Bar Creek Camp | No | No | On river left |
| Above Robinson Camp | No | No | River left |
| Robinson Gulch Camp | No | No | River left |
| Dug Bar Camp | No | No | River left |
| Zig Zag Camp | No | No | River right |
| Divide Creek Camp | No | No | River right |
| China Bar Camp | No | Yes | River left |
| Imnaha Camp | No | Yes | River left below the Imnaha outlet and above the Imnaha rapid |
| Eureka Camp | No | No | River left |
| Knight Creek Camp | No | No | River left |
| Salmon Mouth Camp | No | Yes | River right, right at the confluence |
| Salmon Falls Camp | No | Yes | River right |
| Salmon Bar Camp | No | Yes | River left |
| Cave Cove | No | No | A small camp on river left |
| Geneva Bar Camp | No | Yes | River left This is a large, popular sand beach camp spot, the first after leaving the confluence area. |
| Cook Creek Camp | No | Yes | River left |
| Sentinel Rock | No | Yes | River left |
| Upper Jim Creek Camp | No | Yes | River left |
| Lower Jim Creek Camp | No | Yes | River left |
| Meat Hole Camp | No | Yes | River right |
| Upper Cottonwood Creek Camp | No | Yes | River right. A boiler from the steamer “Imnaha,” which cruised these waters at the turn of the century, can be seen on the beach. |
| Lower Cottonwood Creek Camp | No | Yes | River right |
| Upper Cougar Bar Camp | No | Yes | River right |
| Coon Hollow Camp | No | Yes | River left. |
| Coon Island Camp | No | No | River left. |
| Garden Creek Camp | No | No | River left |
| Upper Cache Creek Camp | No | Yes | River left |
| Lower Cache Creek Camp | No | No | River left. |
Permit
No permit is required, or permit info hasn't been added yet.
Fishing
No fish species have been associated with this run yet.
Points of Interest
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