Mildly Recommended: Salmon Spotting
You’ve heard the news — the Fall-run Chinook salmon are here!
I am currently in deep with salmon — yes, pun intended! I can’t get enough of the impressive creatures. They thrash about in water, competing for space to spawn. They can skid up shallow sections and impossibly strong currents. The water feels like a boiling soup of salmon fins. If you haven’t seen it — you absolutely must check it out! Scroll down to see my top 4 spots to view them this year.
But first, let me set the stage:
Every fall, these impressive travelers return home to their exact place of birth along the Lower American River. They typically spend four years out in the open ocean, traveling as far as Alaska, before their last and heroic spawning before they promptly die. Their nutrients upriver feed into the ecosystem, enriching the soil and the diet of the surrounding wildlife.
Because of their invaluable impact on the environment, and the demise of their population due to dams and other human interference, there has been significant efforts to rebuild their spawning habitat in the last few years and the results have been immediate. One of the reasons the river is federally-designated as Wild & Scenic river is that is is vital habitat for these endangered fish (in addition to the Steelhead Trout).
Wild salmon nest their eggs in riffles, or stretches of river where the water runs fast along shallow gravel. In the past few years, the Sacramento Water Forum has done a ton of work along the river to dredge out channels protected by the main flow the river. These channels have been carefully groomed for gravel that is just the right size for the salmon to create their redds (nests) and lay their eggs.
Alright, now let’s get you out there to see them!
#1 Sailor Bar
Adventure 19C in Mildly Scenic
Sailor Bar is at the very top of the river, and the final option for wild salmon to spawn naturally before they run against the Nimbus Dam and need to take the fish ladder up to the Nimbus Fish Hatchery for their final act. Great for peering down over the fish as they nest and compete for the chance to fertilize.
Enter Sailor Bar along the Illinois Ave entrance and drive all the way down to toward the boat ramp. Park in either the ramp lot, or the large dirt lot just before for the boat ramp. The channel is located just upriver from the boat ramp, and you can enter it from the far end of the dirt parking lot, or from the boat ramp lot - enter the double yellow posts.
#2 Upper Sunrise
This is currently my favorite spot to view the salmon, and it seems to be a popular spot for seagulls and vultures too! There are dozens of fish here jumping, splashing, and spawning and you can gaze down from a bluff about 25 feet above.
Previously, I’d named the island just above the Fair Oaks Bridge “Pirate Island” because it made a great place to wade over for a beach day. But that was before it was dredged out and became one of the best spots along the river to watch the salmon. Please don’t wade across the channel — salmon redds (nests) are full of eggs and you might disrupt them!
Accessible by the American River Bike Path, as well as a simple drive. Enter Sunrise Recreational Area and drive upriver past the boat launch. Continue along the paved park road another half-mile and park along the wide dirt shoulder, once you can see the river on your left. There are benches and beaches from which to watch this incredible event.
#3 Effie Yeaw
Adventure 12A in Mildly Scenic
It is no surprise that the Nature Study Area of the Effie Yeaw Nature Center has a protected stretch of river dedicated to spawning salmon. This adventure requires a short walk, maybe half-mile.
From the visitor’s center, follow the “Main Trail” out to the rocky beach. You’ll find a quiet inlet, which serves as a sort of nursery where the new baby fish (called “fry”) can grow up a bit before heading out to the ocean. On the far side of the inlet, you’ll see the riffles where the salmon are spawning. This location, I’ve found, is a little less up-close-and-personal as #1 and #2.
Enter Ancil Hoffman Park on Tarshes Avenue and park by the Effie Yeaw Nature Center. Follow the well-marked dirt trails out along Main Trail where you can walk along the gravel wash next to the main event.
#4 Nimbus Fish Hatchery
Chapter 18 Bonus Adventure in Mildly Scenic
While it might seem obvious to head to the Nimbus Fish Hatchery to see the salmon, heading down to where the fish ladder meets the water is a remarkable sight. The 40-pound fish leap several feet out of the water against the gates of the ladder, waiting for their turn to procreate at their exact place of birth — the hatchery.
After the dam was erected in the 1950s, the hatchery was created as a place for the critically endangered salmon and steelhead trout to spawn. It is one of only two fish hatcheries in Northern California. Between November and February, visitors can observe a spectacular natural phenomenon—fish making the incredible journey back from Alaska to their native hatching grounds. Year-round, visitors can feed the small fry who populate the hatcheries' raceways as well as learn about their life-cycle in the visitors center. Open daily 8am-3pm.
Located just below the Nimbus Dam at Hazel Ave. Turn off of Gold Country Blvd to Nimbus Fish Hatchery and walk the bike path (careful of the bikes zooming past!) under Hazel Ave bridge and down to the water. About 0.25 mile.
