"Shadowy" St. Joe River

The "Shadowy" St. Joe River flows down the western slopes of the Bitterroot Mountain Range from its headwaters at St. Joe Lake near the Idaho/ Montana state line.

The upper portion of the St. Joe River was Congressionally designated as a Wild and Scenic River in 1978. The Act designated the portion of the St. Joe River from North Fork of the St. Joe River to Spruce Tree Campground (39.7 miles) as a Recreational River and the segment from Spruce Tree Campground to St. Joe Lake (26.6 miles) as a Wild River.  

The Recreational portion of the river provides multiple vehicle access opportunities and developed campgrounds.  Above Spruce Tree Campground the Wild portion of the St. Joe River is accessible only by non-motorized travel, with Trail 48 following the river to Heller Creek Campground.

The St. Joe River offers a variety of recreational opportunities, such as fly fishing, floating, camping, hiking, horseback riding and backpacking.

St. Joe River System (excerpted from the 2015 Idaho Panhandle National Forests Land Management Plan)

The St. Joe River begins its journey at St. Joe Lake, at an elevation of 6,460 feet. With exceptionally clear water, visitors can stand on a bridge 30 feet above the river and see the bottom through 15 feet of water. The primary tributary is the St. Maries River, with several other smaller tributaries and lakes along the length of the river. A total of 66.3 miles of the St. Joe River is designated in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. The segment from St. Joe Lake to Spruce Tree Campground (26.6 miles) is designated as a wild river and the segment from Spruce Tree Campground (39.7 miles) to the town of Avery is designated as a recreational river.

The entire St. Joe Wild and Scenic River corridor has spectacular scenery, with crystal clear water, numerous pools, riffles and small falls, moss and fern-covered cliffs to the water’s edge, a large variety of trees, views of near and distant timber-covered slopes interspersed with grass, and brush field openings. Tree species are typical of northern Idaho with a scattering of 100-year-old snags left standing after the 1910 fire, their tops still visible above the green canopy of the younger trees, a mosaic of fir, pine, cedar, and other species. The golden hues of the western larch scattered throughout the corridor brighten up the hillsides in the fall. Outstanding winter landscapes along the groomed snowmobile trail from Avery to Gold Creek provide opportunities to view snow-draped trees and frozen waterfalls. Visitors have an excellent opportunity to see elk, deer, and moose, and variety of birds, fish, and fur-bearing animals. More unique species such as mountain goats, mountain lions, wolves, bald eagles, osprey, and harlequin ducks can sometimes be seen throughout the river corridor.

Good access along paved roads (Highway 50 and Red Ives Road 218) take visitors through the recreational river corridor to the doorstep of the wild river section where a non-motorized trail parallels the river for 17 miles. Facilities along the recreational river segment include a picnic area and several developed campgrounds. Dispersed recreation is important throughout the entire St. Joe Wild and Scenic River corridor, with over two dozen dispersed sites that are used for both camping and day use activities. Numerous trails originate from the recreation segment, providing opportunities for both non-motorized use and to a lesser extent single-track motorized opportunities. The very popular Red Ives Cabin Rental and Historic Ranger Station are located in the recreation segment two miles from the end of the road. Along the wild segment, nonmotorized trail use opportunities abound. This segment of the river is favored by stock riders, backpackers, and anglers who want a more remote experience.

Recreation uses are diverse along the St. Joe Wild and Scenic River and include rafting (both whitewater and leisure floating), canoeing, kayaking, swimming, sightseeing, camping, fishing, hunting, hiking, backpacking, stock riding, berry picking, and in winter, snowmobiling. One of the few whitewater opportunities in North Idaho, segments of fast-running water provide challenging class II, III, and IV rapids for whitewater enthusiasts in spring and early summer.

Hunting and fishing opportunities draw thousands of visitors to the area every year. The river corridor provides habitat for a variety of wildlife and is well known for its elk hunting opportunities, as well as mountain goats, deer, moose, mountain lion, and bear. The river provides outstanding habitat for a diversity of fish species, supporting populations of nationally significant fish species such as bull trout and native westslope cutthroat trout. The river is designated as a blue-ribbon wild trout stream by Idaho Fish and Game and is considered one of the highest quality fisheries in the state. Considered by many to be the best westslope cutthroat trout river in northern Idaho, the St. Joe Wild and Scenic River is managed as catch-and–release water.

Many anglers fly fish both segments of the St. Joe River. This sport requires a great deal of concentration as you usually have to “see” a strike rather than “feel” it. With this in mind, the combination of the flowing water, steep canyons, and heightened concentration give an angler a truly wild experience.