Best White Water Rafting in the NW?
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URL: http://www.professorpaddle.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=14125
Printed Date: 27 Apr 2024 at 9:12am
Topic: Best White Water Rafting in the NW?
Posted By: Raft14
Subject: Best White Water Rafting in the NW?
Date Posted: 12 Jun 2014 at 12:17pm
|
Hi
everyone, As
this seems to be a knowledgeable forum, I was hoping for some guidance. I
am going to be in the NW region on the 27 of June until July 2nd and am looking
for to raft the best rivers in the area. We will be looking to run them with a
company. So we would also be looking to any advice on the best company to go
with.
To
make a long story short. I got the girlfriend hooked on rafting and the goal
then became to raft 100 rivers. We are at 23 different rivers at the moment
with a few doubles as well.
Obviously
the more exciting the river the better.
If anyone
has any advice on what rivers to run or can point us in the right direction it
would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks |
Replies:
Posted By: James
Date Posted: 12 Jun 2014 at 1:18pm
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The really good rafting rivers won't be done by companies around here. Unfortunately our state has a pretty slim pickins for more difficult rafting runs by commercial outfits. I know Tumwater Canyon on the wenatchee used to get done commercially but I think the state put the cobash on that, or when it was done it was like a secret off the books black ops affair. Now your best bets are the Skykomish, White Salmon (Farmlands & Play Run) and Wind. I don't know if you are interested but you might just buy the required gear, and bum rides with rafters that are in private groups. That's what I would do at least. Others can chime in better since we have several guides that are on this forum too. But other rivers to check. Wenatchee, Sauk, Chilliwack, Hood, Klickitat, and maybe the Methow if you are just trying to check boxes. |
Posted By: chipmaney
Date Posted: 12 Jun 2014 at 3:35pm
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best rafting in the NW is the inland northwest: idaho. mf salmon, main salmon, selway, lochsa, sf payette. oregon has some good rafting too, but i don't know as much about it. near the white salmon there is the klickitat deschutes and hood rivers ------------- sitting all alone on a mountain by a river that has no end |
Posted By: ThrowYaMittsUp
Date Posted: 12 Jun 2014 at 3:46pm
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I am a little biased here, but I would argue that even out of your list of 100, the Sauk would stand out. To be honest, I own a rafting company that runs trips on the Sauk, but I have run well over 100 different sections of rivers all over the country, and I chose to start my business here because of the unique experience this river provides. The Sauk is a free flowing and wild river. It has great technical class III+ rapids in a remote setting rarely experienced on a day trip. Everyone has their favorite, and except for a few option, you cant really go wrong in this area, but if you are looking for the best day trip in the state, I'd have to say its a Full Day Sauk Trip with Adventure Cascades! For more info you can check out our website: http://adventurecascades.com/product/full-day-white-water/ - http://adventurecascades.com/product/full-day-white-water/ Thanks, Brian ------------- "Call on God, but row away from the rocks." ~H.S. Thompson |
Posted By: Jed Hawkes
Date Posted: 12 Jun 2014 at 4:02pm
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If your looking to do Multiday raft trips Cipmaney is right, sign up for a 5-7 day trip on the MF Salmon, Main Salmon, or Selway, but if your looking to stimulate washington guides pay checks and bang out a bunch of day trips Washington isn't a bad spot. All the following are Washington Day Trips.
The Skykomish (class III (IV+) above 7000 CFS I call boulder drop commercial class V) is quality at most flows, into August it's a bit tamer depending on the year. (Alpine Adventures Rafting, former employer) The White Salmon (class III-IV, IV+ above 5.5 feet) is the best commercial run in the state, the scenery is great, quality rapids, cold water, and if the water is low enough you can run husum falls which hasn't been super friendly in the last few years, but maybe this year will be different. (All Adventures Rafting, also former employer) The Sauk is quality class IV north cascades rafting (call Adventure Cascades and talk to Brian, he'll get you sorted out). The Wenatchee is good if your going to be here in early summer but it's lots of flat water with a few big water gems stuck in there (class III). (Alpine Adventures) I'm not super knowledgeable about the nooksack, but the nooksack gorge is a short and pretty gorge. (River Riders?) If your here in early spring next year you might be able to get on the Green river gorge but that is dried up by this time of the year (Alpine Adventures). The Methow is similar to the wenatchee but with less flat water (Alpine Adventures or Wildwater). If it still has water and you want some action try the Wind river down near the white salmon (Wet Planet). If you want a Party River you can probably rent a boat on the deschutes in Oregon out of Maupin. (All Star) The only real reliable multiday in washington is out on the Snake river in Hells Canyon, people run trips out there all summer. Some of these are water level dependent so check with each company and determine if they are still running these sections. You might try flying into Portland and doing The wind, white salmon, deschutes, and klickitat because they are all really close to each other, then rolling north doing the wenatchee and Methow, driving west over to the Skykomish then north again and dropping into Canada and hitting those rivers and either flying out of Vancouver or dropping back into Washington and Flying out of Seattle. Just a consideration, Washington is a big state and it might be a little easier if you do it that way. I'm sure to have missed a couple good ones worth mentioning, but this is a start. Have fun on your trip and remember: "you can always tip over, but you can never over tip". ------------- The line will become apparent 978-273-7723 |
Posted By: phil
Date Posted: 12 Jun 2014 at 6:17pm
| I'd add the Rogue to the list. A few fun III-IV rapids and great scenery, with flows that make for a good multi day all summer long. |
Posted By: Raft14
Date Posted: 22 Jun 2014 at 8:38pm
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Thank you everyone for the great advice. It is much appreciated and a big help.
The three rivers I get the impression that are must do's while we are there, at this time of year are The Skykomish White Salmon Sauk I have found a company (Osprey) that does the mouth of the Tumwater canyon hitting Tiney falls and Tripe shot. I don't know if that is enough of the tumwater canyon or if i should hold out util next time. I am still trying to plan the route of how we are getting there to sort out which river we would do first. Also depending on what times and days they run. We do have our own gear as well. PFD's, helmets, wet suits, splash jackets, etc. Hoping to do a swift water rescue course later this summer. Also still trying to decide if we can fit in more rivers on this trip. There seems to be a lot of great rivers in the area. We will have to try in spring next year as well. |
Posted By: NateW
Date Posted: 23 Jun 2014 at 6:30am
| The section that Osprey runs isn't any more roudy than the rest of the Wenatchee that gets commercially rafted. I'd say at the levels Wenatchee is at you could skip it and not be missing out on much. If you'd been here a few weeks earlier it would have been worth running the Wenatchee. |
Posted By: chipmaney
Date Posted: 23 Jun 2014 at 10:37am
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The problem with the mouth of the tumwater is the 8 miles of flatwater directly downstream.... ------------- sitting all alone on a mountain by a river that has no end |
Posted By: Raft14
Date Posted: 23 Jun 2014 at 9:00pm
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I have looked into to it a bit and it seems the only section of the White Salmon that's running is the middle section.
How is the middlesection? Should I wait and try and come back later in the summer when more sections are running? |
Posted By: jP
Date Posted: 26 Jun 2014 at 9:56am
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Raft14-
Call up Alpine Adventures and book a Skykonmish trip. Flows are great right now. Request me (jP) and I'll show you a great time. The longer you wait though, the less water you'll have and the less exciting everything will be. Now, if you want to run Hussum Falls on the White Salmon, that would be the exceprion to that rule, but generally you want to be out here asap running this stuff. Anyway, its a beautiful place- just on that alone you can't go wrong w/ washington rivers!  ------------- 🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋 |
Posted By: Jed Hawkes
Date Posted: 26 Jun 2014 at 11:29am
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The Middle White Salmon is great, one of my favorite rivers to guide. ------------- The line will become apparent 978-273-7723 |
Posted By: Raft14
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2014 at 8:12pm
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Well had a successfull first day rafting.
Did the Middle section of the White Salmon. Now off to do the Sauk tommorow. |
Posted By: Raft14
Date Posted: 29 Jun 2014 at 9:08pm
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Big thanks to Brian and Katie at Adventure Cascades
for a great day on the Sauk |
Posted By: Raft14
Date Posted: 16 Jul 2014 at 12:06pm
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I just wanted to thank everyone for their advice and helping me create a great trip. Thanks to Brian and JP for some great days on the river. We ended up doing the White Salmon Sauk Suiattle Skykomish I got a good look at Tumwater canyon on the way home and it looks like thats one we will have to come back to do for sure along with a few others. It was a great trip with some great rivers.
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Posted By: JoesKayak
Date Posted: 16 Jul 2014 at 9:10pm
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Glad to hear you had a great time. I was gonna pipe in earlier but you'd already gotten some great input from the guys and sounds like you hit some of the best stuff at great water levels. If you head back this way next year I'd recommend hitting the Wenatchee and Methow especially if you come through at the peak of snowmelt (usually around late May or early June). When those two are up high, they have some great big clean class III+ wave trains... all in all less technical, easier rivers than you did this time around, but both rivers are a hoot for big water fun. |