Kokanee Salmon Run at Porcupine Reservoir 2019
On Monday, my crazy sister asked if I wanted to run up to Porcupine Reservoir and check out the Salmon Run up there. We'd literally just done the Causey Salmon run two days before and I thought, WHY NOT?! So off we went. I called a friend and soon we had 3 adults and 4 kids under the age of three in our car. Porcupine Reservoir is located in Cache County and really isn't that much farther than Causey Reservoir for us.
It took us 58 minutes to drive from Ogden to get to Porcupine Reservoir. We drove in as far as you one can and parked by the gate.
While it's kind of steep walking down to the river, it's doable. Our toddlers scooted down on the bums and we took it slow climbing down with babies on our backs.
The best part about the Porcupine Salmon Run is that it's SO easy to get to. While taking a canoe or hiking into Causey is super fun, I left my younger two at home. This time, the younger two were able to come and see the fish for themselves instead of getting left out!
We went on Monday, September 16, 2019, and there were TONS of Salmon.
The little girls LOVED seeing all the fish. The fact the salmon was bright red made it all the more fun for them.
We decided to walk torward Porcupine Reservoir and follow the meandering stream. It's amazing to see really how far the salmon come!
There's also a little autumn in the leaves at Porcupine too!
This part did get super muddy.
We walked up another short hill that my sister said was where the beach area usually is. The water is so low it's not really a beachy area but we stopped and had snacks with the little kids in the shade.
You could also park here on the beach area, it's a right turn-off with what looks like a parking area. You could then hike up the river from there if you wanted to be a bit more adventurous. We actually had my sister run back to get to the car and then drive it to where we were so we didn't have to drag all the babies back that way. We could have done it, it just seemed easier.
We literally spent 3 hours total on this adventure. We drove up, got subway, explored at Porcupine and then headed back. It was a quick trip but plenty long for the toddlers and us!
If you are looking for a more toddler-friendly Salmon Run, head to Porcupine! If you want to try a more adventurous Salmon Run, try Causey!
- Park by the camp fence for closest access.
- Drive slowly on the way up to Porcupine, there's cattle grazing everywhere!
- Less than 5 minutes walk down to the river.
- Don't trespass farther than the sign says.
- The trail was packed down well, but kids could still get muddy.
- Don't disturb the salmon.
- Pack it in Pack it out. Pick up some extra trash on your way out.
- There is a semi parking area before the gate, that is where the beach usually is. You could walk down the hill and then back up the river to see the salmon too.
- We called the Campground nearby to get an update before we headed up to Porcupine and the sweet lady there told us that the salmon were running! 9/15/2019
