The Selway River is a large tributary of the Middle Fork of the Clearwater River in North Central Idaho. Its main stem flows 100 miles from the headwater in the Bitterroot Mountains to its confluence with the Lochsa near Lowell. Along with the South Fork of the Clearwater the three rivers form the middle part of the main Clearwater River.

The Selway drains 2,013 square miles in Idaho County. It flows through the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, the Bitterroot National Forest and the Nez Perce National Forest. Its entire length was included by the United States Congress in 1968 as part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.

It is home to Chinook Salmon. In the mid-1960s four salmon channels were built by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game and the Job Corps along the Selway to re-establish the spring Chinook run after hydroelectric dams were built downstream. The river was stocked with salmon eggs and fry each fall through 1982 and again in 1985, according to Wikipedia.

According to Oregon Kayaking.net, it is one of the most coveted river trips in the US, second only to the Grand Canyon in terms of permit scarcity. " You can't get into whitewater heaven til' you've run the Selway over five feet on the Paradise gauge."--anonymous

Trivia Archives

Sponsored by:

Want accurate, daily news for Orofino and Clearwater County? Subscribe to: Traditional news Today's technology It's a bargain at $3 per month, $18 for 6 months or $30 per year. (Idaho residents, please add 6% sales tax) Subscribing is easy: Drop us a check with your email address and we will sign you up. (See the mailing address at left) Pay online: Click this Registration link and follow the Pay Pal instructions.