Clark Fork Delta Paddle Tour
Check it out
Distance: 7 miles round trip
Difficulty: Moderate
Paddling time: 4-6 hours
Season: Virtually year around
Maps: USGS Clark Fork
Info: Full Spectrum Tours, (209) 263-5975
Paddling trip notes
Access: From Sandpoint, drive 25 miles east on State Highway 200 to Clark Fork. At east end of Clark Fork, turn south on Stevens Road. Cross railroad tracks and bear left on paved road. Immediately after crossing one-lane bridge, turn right. Drive 2 miles on dirt road. At Y with Forest Road 278, bear right to put-in at Johnson Creek access.
Attractions: Loop tour with fascinating combination of flowing and still waters at the northeast end of Lake Pend Oreille. Route has several shorter options. Pend Oreille State Wildlife Management Area has numerous undeveloped islands, coves and inlets left as havens for wide range of wildlife, including deer, mink, osprey, bald eagles, waterfowl and numerous songbirds. Waters hold trout and bass. Fall foliage an attraction in itself.
Comments: Be prepared for changing conditions. Water levels on this route are affected down-lake by Albeni Falls Dam, which can cause lake to fluctuate up to 11 feet during year. Flows from upstream are controlled at Cabinet Gorge Dam. In mid-summer flows can reach minimum allowable flow of 3,000 cfs - plenty low enough to make portions of this route shallow and rocky, especially near two bridges at entrance to the South Fork. Check it out from road on way to put-in. Some paddlers will shrug off low water as good excuse to climb out of boat and use fishing rods.
Follow route clockwise, heading downstream from put-in. Rock beach at mouth of South Fork is good picnic or camp site. If big wind is blowing, simply turn tail back into protected waters of South Fork. Map shows other alternate routes to shorten trip.
Rest of route fairly easy depending on wind conditions, paddling skills and river flows.
For instance, one day in June, flow of Clark Fork out of Cabinet Gorge Dam was 33,310 cubic feet per second at noon, providing significant but not overwhelming current in South Fork. By 5 p.m., river flow out of dam had increased to nearly 52,000 cfs, leaving South Fork still reasonably easy to negotiate upstream. However, some paddlers might have had difficulty navigating against stronger current in upper Middle Fork.
When Albeni Falls Dam went on line in 1955, much of Clark Fork Delta area purchased by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and turned over to Idaho Fish and Game Department. Most areas within delta considered Pend Oreille State Wildlife Area, however, portions of Derr Island and most of islands west of river mouth are private land.
Route passes numerous hidden coves worth exploring, plus goose nesting platforms usually occupied in early May.
Pilings in Middle Fork designed to divert logs and other river debris to drift yard at end of North Fork near Hope. Avoid play in drift yard or on diversion barrier.
Sightseers can follow access road upstream to Cabinet Gorge Fish Hatchery, (208) 266-1431, open 9 a.m.-4 p.m. daily. Hatchery especially busy in late fall when returning kokanee captured and stripped of eggs for propagation.
For info on flows from Cabinet Gorge Dam, call (208) 266-1531.
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