Salmon season at Knights Ferry rewards anyone who plans around the river instead of the park. The Chinook run on the Stanislaus River follows its own schedule, and most of what we use to plan a day at Knights Ferry doesn't match it. The fishing season, the visitor center hours and the covered bridge all run on separate clocks.
The festival date is the one fixed point. The 16th Annual Stanislaus River Salmon Festival is set for Saturday, November 14, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Knights Ferry Recreation Area, according to Visit Modesto's event listing. That's about a month away. The listing says last year's festival drew more than 6,000 people.
Why This Run Is Worth the Drive
The river right outside Oakdale carries a good share of the whole basin's run. FISHBIO counted 7,998 or more Chinook passing its Stanislaus River weir near Riverbank in 2025. Its 2025 year-in-review and its later profile of the river round that to about 8,000 fish. The weir figure counts the fish that passed one point near Riverbank, so the river's full return could be higher.
The basin-wide picture puts that number in context. In a 2026 review of Central Valley returns, FISHBIO estimated 21,272 salmon across the San Joaquin River basin in 2025. It said about 38% of the basin's natural-area spawners came back to the Stanislaus. More than a third of the basin's natural-area spawners came back to the river that runs past Oakdale.
No 2026 count has been published yet. This fall's fish are still arriving, and nobody can say yet whether 2026 will beat last year.
The Fish Peak After the Fishing Season Closes
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers manages Stanislaus River Parks, and it lists fishing on those sites as allowed from January 1 to October 31. It sends anglers to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife for license and regulation details. That makes October 31 a natural stopping point for anyone who comes to the river with a rod. Spawning activity hasn't peaked yet by then.
The best timing guide in the public record is a CDFW carcass survey of the 2022 run. The survey started October 4, 2022, and ended January 12, 2023. It covered the spawning reach from below Goodwin Dam down to Riverbank. Its named sections included Knights Ferry, Horseshoe Road Recreation Area, Oakdale Recreation Area and Jacob Myers Park. In that season, weekly counts of live fish peaked in survey weeks six through eight, roughly mid-to-late November. Redds, the gravel nests where females lay their eggs, peaked in weeks eight through ten, which ran into early December.
That's one year's pattern, not a forecast for 2026. Still, it shows the river's busiest weeks coming after Halloween, once the fishing season on the park sites has closed. The festival's Saturday date sits inside the window when live fish peaked in 2022. Last year's festival was November 8, 2025, and the year before it was November 9, 2024, according to the Oakdale Leader's 2025 preview and its 2024 coverage.
The Bridge in Every Salmon Photo Has Been Closed Since 2022
Many of us picture this outing from the deck of the Knights Ferry Covered Bridge, looking down into the water. FISHBIO wrote about watching salmon from the bridge during the 2019 festival. A 2023 FISHBIO post said salmon could be seen below "the bridge at Knights Ferry," but it didn't say which bridge.
The covered bridge has been closed to pedestrians since December 30, 2022. In its December 29, 2022 news release, the Corps said a structural analysis had found significant wood deterioration that compromised the bridge's stability. Since that July, foot traffic had already been limited to the bridge's middle six feet. The same release said the recreation areas would stay open to vehicles. Pedestrians could cross the Stanislaus on the Sonora Road Bridge, about 900 feet west.
At the time, the Corps told the Modesto Bee there was no estimate yet for how long repairs would take:
"First we need to determine what work needs to be done before we can establish a timeline."
The Corps' Stanislaus River Parks page still lists the bridge as "Closed for Repairs." The page's update is still dated December 29, 2022, and it gives no reopening date. It suggests visitors try the nine other developed recreation areas along the river in the meantime. By December, the closure will have lasted four years.
A Weekday Visit and a Festival Saturday Are Different Outings
The Knights Ferry Visitor Center has exhibits on salmon life cycles, Native American culture, the covered bridge and the century-old flour mill, plus a short introductory video. Its posted hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The festival falls on a Saturday, and the event listing doesn't say whether the center will open for it.
So the season works best as two visits.
A November weekday visit
- Visitor center open on its posted weekday hours
- Quieter trails around Knights Ferry and the historic flour mill
- Corps day-use fee of $10, or an annual pass if you already carry one
- The Corps also offers group programs at the visitor center when they're scheduled in advance with the project office, which suits a scout troop or a family group
Saturday, November 14
- The festival runs 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Knights Ferry Recreation Area
- More than 6,000 attended in 2025, so expect a crowd
- The listing's "More Info" link goes to the East Stanislaus Resource Conservation District
What the Festival Looked Like Last Year, and What's Still Unconfirmed
The 2026 listing gives the date, time and location and not much else. Last year's setup is the best guide, as long as you treat it as last year's.
In 2025, the Oakdale Leader's preview described free admission with $10 parking in Corps lots. It also listed more than 40 natural-resource exhibitors and salmon viewing at Knights Ferry Recreation Area. A 2025 listing on MyMotherLode added a Children's Calendar Art Contest, a scavenger hunt, food booths and educational booths. The Oakdale Leader's 2024 coverage also promised "salmon viewing opportunities along the river."
There was also a free public raft outing near Knights Ferry on November 8, 2025, to view the Chinook migration. Salmon restoration groups hosted it, the Oakdale Leader reported that June. No 2026 version has been announced. And if you were hoping to book your own float, Sunshine Rafting Adventures says its 2026 season is over and it plans to reopen in June 2027.
The parking fee, the exhibitor list and any guided viewing for this year's festival are still unconfirmed. Watch the East Stanislaus RCD's posts as the date gets closer.
A Few Details Before You Go
- Fire rules ease at the end of the month. A Corps notice dated June 1, 2026, prohibits wood and charcoal fires through October 31 and allows white gas only. Questions go to the project office at (209) 881-3517.
- The river parks are open year-round. The Corps lists trails at Goodwin Canyon, Knights Ferry, Orange Blossom, Valley Oak and McHenry Avenue. It says every site has restrooms, picnic facilities and river access.
- Salmon use the whole reach, and Knights Ferry is the spot with a viewing track record. CDFW's 2022 survey followed spawning from below Goodwin Dam all the way past Oakdale Recreation Area to Riverbank. The festival previews and FISHBIO posts cited above all place salmon viewing at Knights Ferry. I haven't found a comparable report for Orange Blossom or Oakdale Recreation Area, so Knights Ferry is the most dependable bet.
- Use the Sonora Road Bridge to cross on foot. It's the crossing the Corps named when it closed the covered bridge.
The Stanislaus is a big reason I love working in Oakdale and the communities along the river. If you're thinking about a move that keeps Knights Ferry a short drive away, I'm happy to talk through which spots along the river fit what you're looking for. Reach out to Amy Thomas and let's connect.
