Idaho | Idaho Panhandle / Silver Valley
South Fork Coeur d'Alene River
Mullan to Wallace
Route planning details, access notes, and local verification guidance.
Route location
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Need to know
Why this call
Conditions
Gauge history and hourly forecast
Use the gauge context and hourly forecast to verify local conditions before launching.
Gauge detail
Gauge history & hourly forecastDetailed view
Gauge
Recent trend
Checking preferred range.
Checking trend.
Gauge source
--Checking timestampMN DNR provides the current paddling level here, but not chart-ready recent samples.
Weather
Hourly forecast
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Next 8 hours
Short-route forecast
Checking the next several hours.
Route overview
Quick facts and what's next
Distance, difficulty, shuttle basics, and the near-term outlook before you commit to the drive.
Quick facts
Plan ahead
Upcoming outlook
These are early planning reads. Re-check live conditions before you commit to the drive.
Waiting on forecast.
Waiting on forecast.
Plan
Plan your trip
Launch points, shuttle details, distance, and access notes.
Route logistics
Access and shuttle
An approximately 8-mile Class III-IV Silver Valley run from Mullan toward Wallace, with narrow concrete channels, railroad and highway infrastructure, Tunnel Rapid, and very limited eddies.
Prepare this trip
Take the plan with you
Download the canonical route, add a calendar hold, or send a simple float plan to your group.
Put-in
Mullan / Interstate 90 river accessUse only the named public launch or landing; a nearby bank, bridge shoulder, fishing easement, or private campground is not substitute access.
Take-out
Wallace visitor-center / Placer Creek-area take-outConfirm current closures, fire restrictions, seasonal gates, parking capacity, fees, launch condition, and Idaho invasive-species requirements before travel.
Plan this segment
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- Use only the named public launch or landing; a nearby bank, bridge shoulder, fishing easement, or private campground is not substitute access.
- Confirm current closures, fire restrictions, seasonal gates, parking capacity, fees, launch condition, and Idaho invasive-species requirements before travel.
- Private banks are common. Do not land, scout, portage, or camp outside a signed public site or manager-designated corridor.
Watch for
- Tunnel Rapid
- low bridges and trestles
- historic mining debris
- blind no-eddy corners
- changing wood and riprap take-out
Route gallery
See this route on the water
Photos help show what the access looks like and what the route actually feels like on the water.
Score & sources
Data and sources
See the gauge, weather, and source notes behind today's call.
Why this scoreToday's evidence strength is checking
Evidence strength mostly comes down to three things: how direct the active gauge is, how clear the range is, and how fresh the data is.
- Checking evidence-strength notes.
- Checking evidence cautions.
Data behind the scoreGauge, thresholds, and timing
These are the live readings and threshold notes behind today's score.
| Gauge site | South Fork Coeur d'Alene River above Placer Creek at Wallace, ID |
| Discharge | Checking |
| Gauge height | Checking |
| 24h trend | Checking |
| 24h change | Checking |
| Current band | Checking |
| Rain last 24h | Checking |
| Rain last 72h | Checking |
| Air temp | Checking |
| Water temp | Checking |
| Wind | Checking |
| Gusts | Checking |
| Rain timing | Checking |
| Target band | 350 cfs to 600 cfs |
| Low threshold | 250 cfs |
| High threshold | 1,100 cfs |
| Evidence strength behind the range | Official and local sources |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | American Whitewater direct-gauge correlation: 250-600 cfs runnable; local guidance describes about 350 cfs as low/scrapey and warns of low-bridge clearance above about 1,100 cfs |
| Gauge source | Checking |
| Weather source | Checking |
| Rainfall source | Checking |
NotesWhat to know before you go
These notes cover the access details, route quirks, and source caveats most likely to matter once you get there.
- Official route corridorMullan to Wallace; About 8 river miles
American Whitewater South Fork Coeur d'Alene reach record identifies the endpoint chain, river miles, or managed float corridor.
- Public access controlMullan / Interstate 90 river access to Wallace visitor-center / Placer Creek-area take-out
Coordinates represent named public ramps, bank launches, park landings, or an explicitly described staging point.
- Direct live gaugeUSGS 12413131 - South Fork Coeur d'Alene River above Placer Creek at Wallace, ID
Gauge is on the named waterbody and supplies context only.
- Threshold postureNumeric cue retained for planning
The route remains planning-only; no live go/no-go score is asserted.
- Safety and land managementCurrent manager notices override this record
This is not a beginner run. The river is narrow, roadside, and often walled in, with blind corners, no-eddy sections, railroad trestles, concrete banks, and Tunnel Rapid near Wallace. Use a proven Class IV crew with rescue hardware, throw bags, first aid, and satellite communication. North Idaho Rivers recommends full visual scouting from the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes or shore because many hazards cannot be safely boat-scouted. Inspect every bridge, trestle, culvert, log jam, and concrete channel before launching. Use 250 cfs as the AW lower runnable shoulder and 350-600 cfs as the conservative planning band. Treat approximately 1,100 cfs as a hard upper bridge-clearance warning from local guidance, not as a runnable target; current bridge clearance, debris, and channel conditions override every numeric cue.
- Camping classificationnearby_basecamp
No on-route camping is assumed. Use a lawful Mullan or Wallace basecamp; do not camp beside the industrial corridor, railroad, highway, or river-channel concrete.
- Image decisionIdaho Panhandle same-watershed context photograph
Approved route-area or same-river context; it does not depict every endpoint or current conditions.
- Overlap decisionRetained as a distinct access-to-access itinerary
Adjacent cards use different public endpoints and provide a different trip length, hazard set, skill tier, or operating boundary.
Verify it yourselfCheck the source links
Use these links to double-check the gauge, route details, and access notes before you head out.
- American Whitewater South Fork Coeur d'Alene reach record
- Official access/map control
- USGS 12413131 monitoring location
- USGS 12413131 current conditions
- Additional threshold support
- USGS South Fork Coeur d'Alene direct gauge
- North Idaho Rivers local flow and hazard guide
- Idaho Fish and Game South Fork Coeur d'Alene water record
- American Whitewater Wallace boater-access cleanup project
- Idaho Parks Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes scouting corridor
- Idaho fisheries plan / Silver Valley river context
- Idaho Panhandle same-watershed context photograph
- Idaho boating and invasive-species requirements
Paddler reports
Recent notes from paddlers
A few quick notes from people who were on this route recently.
Reports
Paddler reports
See recent photos and notes from people on the route.
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Quick answers
South Fork Coeur d'Alene River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling South Fork Coeur d'Alene River?
Paddle Today watches South Fork Coeur d'Alene River above Placer Creek at Wallace, ID and treats 350 cfs to 600 cfs as the target band for this route, with weather and recent trend included in the final score.
Where does this South Fork Coeur d'Alene River route start and end?
This route starts at Mullan / Interstate 90 river access and ends at Wallace visitor-center / Placer Creek-area take-out, about About 8 river miles on the water.
Is this South Fork Coeur d'Alene River route good for beginners?
This is listed as a hard route. Treat the live score as a planning aid, then confirm conditions, hazards, access, and group skill before launching.
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Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.