The main stem rises in the Sawtooth Range at over 9,200 feet (2,800 m) in elevation, several miles northwest of Norton Peak.

North of Salmon, the river is joined at its North Fork, before turning west into over 200 miles (320 km) of continuous canyons through the Salmon River and Clearwater Mountains – some of the most rugged and isolated terrain in the contiguous United States.

The highway splits north to climb White Bird Hill while the river loops northwest and then south to its confluence with the Snake River north of Hells Canyon, fifteen miles (25 km) south of the Washington border and 40 miles (65 km) upstream of Lewiston.

The river was considered sacred ground and a rich source of food for the indigenous people of the area, who relied on the abundant salmon species and other wildlife.

In August 1805, just after crossing the Continental Divide, Lewis and Clark ventured down the Salmon River, but found it to be too rough to be navigable.

[13]The honor didn't last long; by 1810, maps of the area were already referring to "Louis' River" as the Salmon.

These early explorers included Frank Lance, Francis, Hank the Hermit, and most well known and storied Buckskin Bill.

[14] Sylvan Ambrose Hart (Buckskin Bill) was one of the last Mountain Men to inhabit the Salmon River Canyon at 5 Mile Bar.

Buckskin was a true craftsman in his own right forging his own knives, pistols, rifles, kettles, pots, and pans.

Miners came to the area, causing clashes with the Nez Perce on their ancestral tribal lands.

Often the only way to access these lodges is either by motorized boats, rafting trips, hiking, and even some isolated airstrips.

Populations remain at risk in large part because of the negative effects of four federal dams and reservoirs on the lower Snake river, through which both juvenile salmon and returning adults must pass.

[17] [citation needed] Download coordinates as: The United States Geological Survey operates four stream gauge water level monitoring stations on the main stem of the Salmon River and 17 others on its tributaries.