Join us for the 24th annual Sawtooth Salmon Festival in Stanley! Get ready to celebrate Idaho’s most incredible athletes in the heart of the spectacular Sawtooth Valley for a weekend packed with adventure and education. This free, family-friendly festival celebrates the epic 900-mile journey of Idaho’s iconic salmon and steelhead, traveling all the way from the Pacific Ocean to the headwaters of the Salmon River.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 22: Kick Off The Weekend!
A River Runs Through It (And We Want to Restore Its Flow!): Swing by the Sawtooth Interpretive & Historical Museum to hear from our own Wild Fish & Hydropower Conservation Manager, Stephen Pfieffer. He’ll give you the inside scoop on the opportunity to restore 140 miles of the Lower Snake River — a vital migration corridor for salmon — and what it’ll take to bring our salmon and steelhead back to healthy, harvestable numbers. Stick around to hear amazing personal stories of Idaho’s historic salmon runs. Then, Salmon Trivia! Put your knowledge to the test at the Kasino Club. An afterparty with live music from Good Friends.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 23: The Main Event!
The festival kicks into high gear at Mountain Village Resort and across the Sawtooth Valley!
Attend a Guided Salmon Redd Tour: Join an expert-led tour to see active salmon nests (redds). You’ll learn how to spot these remarkable fish as they complete their life cycle.

Festival Fun: Mountain Village Resort will be buzzing with live music, cold beer, and 40+ vendors providing education, salmon themed art, outdoor recreation, great eats, and so much more! Be captivated by Shoshone-Bannock tribal dancing and singing and create a masterpiece at a salmon art activity hosted by Save Our Wild Salmon. You can also participate in our festival passport activity to be entered into our festival raffle!

Dive Deeper: Educational booths and activities will be hosted by our partners all across Stanley. Chat with biologists, conservation experts, and fellow river lovers to learn about salmon biology and the fight to protect them.

Evening Celebration: Cap off a perfect day with a free showing of the Grand Salmon’s Source to Sea film at the community center, followed by a rockin’ after-party at Mountain Village Resort with live music from Brooke Fulk & Neon Moon!

SUNDAY, AUGUST 24: Mountain Morning
Wind down your weekend with sunrise yoga, a fascinating historical Sunbeam dam tour hosted by Tom Stuart, a Sawtooth Salmon Fest Found & Stanley native, and attend a fire ecology activity hosted by the Sawtooth Society.

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A Journey Worth Celebrating

Chinook and Sockeye salmon undertake one of the most amazing migrations on Earth. After hatching high in the Sawtooths, they journey to the Pacific, growing for years before instinct calls them home. Their return trip is a grueling upstream battle against currents, waterfalls, eight massive dams and hot reservoirs on the Columbia and Snake rivers, and on top of all that evading numerous predators to return to the headwaters of the Salmon River to spawn.

The few who make it back are essential. They bring vital ocean nutrients to our mountain streams, sustaining our ecosystem, fueling our recreation economies, and forming a cornerstone of our culture.

This festival is a celebration, but it’s also a call to action. The four dams on the Lower Snake River are the single biggest obstacle to salmon recovery. By joining us, you become part of a powerful current of change, advocating for a future with abundant, wild salmon for generations to come.

The Details

What: The Sawtooth Salmon Festival
When: August 22-24, 2025
Where: Stanley, Idaho
Cost: Absolutely FREE!
Co-hosted by Idaho Rivers United and the Sawtooth Interpretive & Historical Association
Presented by Stanley Sawtooth Chamber of Commerce
Thank you to our festival sponsor and supporters
Sockeye sponsors: Mountain Village Resort, 94.9 the River
Steelhead sponsors: Yakima Chief hops, Ocean Network Express, Atkinson’s Market, Pioneer Federal Credit Union, Boise Co-op Market, Idaho Sierra Club, & Cabela’s Bass Pro Shops
Check out our Kokanee sponsors on our website!

Get Involved!
For more information and a detailed schedule: Visit us at www.sawtoothsalmonfestival.org