Wild Trout of the Middle Santiam Wilderness

The Middle Santiam Wilderness offers the opportunity to catch wild trout (rainbow, redside, and cutthroat) in the Willamette Valley. The scenery is wonderful, but you must hike, wade, and bust through the brush to find the fish.

We start with views of the lower section, where Chimney Peak dominates the landscape. Floods and landslides continuously shape the valley where the river wanders through rock bars. The wind picks up in the afternoon which moderates hot August days.

The second half shows the upper section, above Pyramid Creeks, where the flow is less than half of the lower section and the canyon walls are steep and narrow.. Beaver Lakes, barely visible in the opening scenes of this section, are stagnant weed-choked unfishable swamps, so just enjoy them for the scenery.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Middle
• Santiam
• River
• wilderness
• cutthroat
• redside
• trout