A non-commercial use permit is mandatory for foating the Wild section of the river. These permits do not restrict use and are free. Access to available put-in sites on the Wild Chetco are limited and difficult to get to. Trail hiking and packing are the only methods available to get to Wild river sites at the Slide Creek confluence, Taggarts Bar or Confluence of Boulder Creek. This is mostly a 3 season Wilderness.
Access is difficult in the winter, as snow blocks the roads to most trailheads.
Also trails are not blazed for route finding in the snow. Spring is a good time to see early wildflowers, avoid the heat and insects and find adequate water on the ridge trails. But fording of early spring creeks and rivers may not be possible in early spring. Ridge routes are often open under full sun and springs tend to dry out in later summer. Fall can be a good time, with cooler tempertures and less insects.