Salmon RiverPineville County Route 48 launch to County Route 2A Compactor Pool launch

These notes cover the access details, route quirks, and source caveats most likely to matter once you get there.

• Distinct bounded sectionPineville Route 48 to County Route 2A Compactor Pool; approximately 3.6 planning river miles; Class I–II(III) context

  The route is a conservative split between the current Altmar-to-Route-2A corridor and the existing Compactor-to-Black-Hole card, preserving the Pineville and Compactor public launch boundaries.

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• Authoritative public water accessNYSDEC Pineville Route 48 and Compactor Pool County Route 2A drift-boat launches

  Current NYSDEC Salmon River material lists both launch areas and the Lower Salmon River plan documents the public launch infrastructure and maintenance context.

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• Direct gauge and release contextUSGS 04250200 Salmon River at Pineville with Lighthouse Hill release controls

  USGS provides direct same-river telemetry at Pineville; American Whitewater and NYSDEC identify the reservoir-release and cold-water context. Use current release information and local visual inspection together.

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• Route-specific flow guidanceAdjacent 150 cfs lower planning reference only; no separate local cutoff published

  The existing Altmar-to-Pineville card retains CanWePaddle’s 150 cfs lower reference. This split does not promote that value to a separate go/no-go threshold; use direct trend, release timing, and local conditions.

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• Safety and fishery contextCold water, release changes, fishing traffic, wood, bridge features, and Compactor boundary

  American Whitewater describes the parent route’s increasing rapids and release context; NYSDEC documents the active lower Salmon fishery and access network.

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• Approved same-river context imageUSGS Salmon River at Pineville station photograph

  The public-domain image is same-river gauge context and does not certify the Pineville or Compactor launch, current release, wood, or route conditions.

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• Direct live gaugeUSGS 04250200, Salmon River at Pineville, NY

  USGS 04250200 at Pineville is a direct same-river station at the upstream endpoint vicinity. Use its stage/discharge and trend with the Lighthouse Hill release schedule, but local channel, wood, temperature, fishing congestion, and intervening conditions remain controlling.

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• Safety and river conditionsCheck live gauge, recent rainfall, trend, debris, bridges, and access conditions before launch

  American Whitewater / NYSDEC Salmon River access and release sources and its linked safety material warn that conditions change rapidly and require local inspection.

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• Image decisionApproved same-river context image used for route presentation

  The image is labeled as river-level context when it depicts the named river elsewhere, not this exact reach.

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Use these links to double-check the gauge, route details, and access notes before you head out.

• American Whitewater / NYSDEC Salmon River access and release sources route record
• NYSDEC Salmon River Pineville and Compactor Pool launch context
• USGS 04250200 Salmon River at Pineville current stage and discharge
• NYSDEC Salmon River access, release, and fishing-regulation guidance
• USGS 04250200 monitoring location
• USGS 04250200 current conditions
• Salmon River context image