River City Red E Mix

Based in Salmon, Idaho, River City Red E Mix supplies sand and gravel and topsoil to homeowners, landscapers and contractors across the area. Google lists the business under 4 categories — Ready mix concrete supplier, Road construction company, Sand & gravel supplier, Topsoil supplier — which points to a broader inventory than a single-product yard carries.

Google carries few reviews for this location, so call ahead to confirm current stock, pricing and whether they deliver to your address.

What River City Red E Mix supplies

Aggregate yards carry crushed stone, pea gravel, road base, mason sand, concrete sand and structural fill. Material is graded by particle size, and the correct grade depends entirely on whether you are building a compacted base, a drainage layer or a walking surface.

Road base (often called crusher run or 21AA) compacts hard and is the right choice under pavers or driveways. Clean washed stone such as #57 drains freely and is used for French drains and trench backfill. Pea gravel looks good underfoot but migrates and needs edging to stay put.

Screened topsoil is the workhorse material for new lawns, raised beds and regrading work. Yards typically screen to ½" or ⅜" to pull out rocks, roots and clods, and many sell blended mixes that cut native soil with compost or sand to improve structure and drainage.

Because River City Red E Mix carries several material lines, it is often possible to combine an order across products — soil, mulch and stone on one truck — rather than paying separate delivery charges to two or three different yards.

How much material you need

Sand and gravel is sold by the ton. Aggregate is sold by weight, not volume — one cubic yard of crushed stone runs roughly 1.4 tons.

As a rough guide: 1 ton covers about 100 sq ft at 2 in; 5 tons covers about 500 sq ft at 2 in; 20 tons covers about 2,000 sq ft at 2 in.

Have length, width and target depth ready when you phone. Yard staff convert those into tons far more reliably than a generic online calculator, and they know how their own material settles.

Ordering and delivery

Ask about delivery minimums and trip charges up front — for smaller orders these often matter more to the final bill than the headline per-ton price.

Check where the truck can actually dump. Tandem trucks need overhead clearance and firm ground, and most drivers will not reverse across a soft lawn or a new driveway. If access is tight, ask whether they run a smaller truck or can leave the load at the kerb.

Best time to buy in Idaho

In Idaho, the buying window is compressed. Yards get busiest from the first thaw through early June, and again briefly in autumn. Ordering sand and gravel in early spring often means waiting in a queue and paying peak rates, so booking delivery before the rush — or in late autumn for spring work — usually gets both a better price and a firmer delivery date. Many yards in colder states reduce hours or close outright through deep winter, so confirm seasonal availability before planning a January or February project.

Buying sand and gravel in Salmon

We list 1 bulk supplier in Salmon and 93 across Idaho, spread over 43 cities and towns.

Bulk material pricing is intensely local. Trucking is a large share of the delivered cost, which is why a nearby yard usually beats a cheaper one further out once the full quote lands.