In the 12-mile stretch between Nordheimer Creek and Oak Bottom Campground,  the  Cal Salmon carves a ruggedly beautiful gorge through the heart of the Salmon Mountains. Polished walls of granite and luminescent marble, decorated with fern-clad terraces, rise above the river. 

The Cal Salmon starts slowly, then leapfrogs through steep, plunging rapids and deep pools. The first Class IV rapid, Bloomer Falls, lies a scant half-mile dowstream from the launch site. For the next 3 miles, paddlers drop through Class III and IV boulder gardens as the Salmon wrestles toward its confluence with the mighty Klamath River. 

Cascade, the first of three Class V rapids, contains randomly stacked boulders and a steep chute along the right wall. Last Chance and Freight Train, the two biggest rapids, are powerful enough to rattle even a seasoned veteran. Boat-eating holes and confused hydraulics try to separate paddlers from raft. 
The Klamath, another excellent whitewater river, awaits below the Oak Bottom take-out.