Unfortunately, the majority of people likely will never have the opportunity to view a large salmon run. If, however, they ever have the opportunity they should not pass it up. An estimated 240,000 people attended the 2014 salmon run to watch the salmon return to the Adams River.
B and K have had the good fortune to have viewed two of the dominant runs at Adams River, the first in 2006 and the second in 2010. It turned out that the 2010 run was the largest in well over a century, with an estimated 3,866,000 salmon returning. Dominant runs occur every four years in even numbered years that are not leap years. The next will occur in 2018. Sub dominant, post-dominant and pre-dominant years do each have salmon runs, but the numbers are substantially smaller.
In a dominant year the Adams River is absolutely red with the millions of salmon making their way to the spawning beds. For many people this is a once-in-a-lifetime treat. The Adams River run is certainly not the only one to occur in British Columbia, but it is the largest and is relatively easily accessible.
So ... how to get there? The road to Roderick Haig-Brown Provincial Park is the Squilax Anglemont Road which heads north from the Trans Canada Highway about 60 kilometres east of Kamloops or about 40 km. west of Salmon Arm. The road is well signed and is at an overpass. From the overpass, head north, then east for about 5.5 km. to Roderick Haig-Brown Provincial Park, on the south side of the road. If you should arrive during the peak of the run, just follow all the other vehicles. There are other parking spots near the river along the road, but the park is the best bet for the first timer. From the park it is a short walk to the river.
And ... when should one get there? The runs peak at slightly different times each year, with the peak occurring near mid October. As a guideline, we were at Adams River on October 16 in 2010.
As part of the salmon run the
Salute to the Sockeye Festival is staged each dominant year from about October 3 to 26 by the
Adams River Salmon Society. The most recent
Salute to the Sockeye Festival, a three week long event, ran from September 28th until October 21st, 2018.
SALUTE TO THE SOCKEYE
The Salute to the Sockeye takes place on the dominant year of the four-year cycle. The Salute to the Sockeye is
the largest Sockeye Salmon run in North America, and is a three week long event, running from September 28th until October 21st, 2018. The next Salute to the Sockeye will be in 2022.
From the Adams River Salmon Society