| Pilchuck River — 2-Machias to Snohomish™ © |
Class II-
7Miles
Avg Gradient 15 fpm
Play Rating (1-10): 2
River Mapplet
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GPS/GIS |
Maps |
| Zip Code : |
98290 |
General Area |
| Put In Longitude : |
-122.03807 |
Putin |
| Put In Latitude : |
47.9870856 |
| Take Out Longitude : |
-122.08211 |
Take Out |
| Take Out Latitude : |
47.91152 |
| County : |
Snohomish |
Shuttle
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Gauge Information (Professor Paddle updated levels from PILCHUCK RIVER NEAR SNOHOMISH at 4/18/2024 12:38:07 PM)
| Gauge |
Forecast |
Height |
Current Flow |
Authority |
Physical Update |
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PILCHUCK RIVER NEAR SNOHOMISH
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NWRFC | FC Page |
10.69 |
303
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USGS - NWIS |
04-18-2024 11:45:00 |
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Minimum Recomended Level: 300 Maximum Recomended Level: 1500
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AccessEasy access from S. Machias Road. Several alternate access spots available. |
Putin DetailsNear the town of Machias turn off S. Machias Road onto OK Mill Road. The put-in is in 100 yards at the bridge. Access and parking on the river left side.
Alternately, continue .2 miles and turn left on 147th/Russel Road. Continue approx .6 miles to a turnout next to the river. There is usually wood just upstream of this spot, so don't continue on to the bridge. This provides about 1 more mile of river. |
Takeout DetailsSeveral alternative takeouts are available for longer/shorter runs. The primary takeout is at Pilchuck Park just outside downtown Snohomish.
To take out at Pilchuck Park:
Return to S. Machias Road and head south, continue into Snohomish (road becomes Maple Ave) and turn LEFT on Second Street. After a few blocks turn RIGHT on Cypress Ave. Park entrance is on your left.
Once you’re in the park look for trails leading down to the river, there are multiple, so check them out to find the easiest one to carry from.
Alternate takeouts:
Pilchuck Centennial Trail parking lot, just past the HWY 2 overpass.
Dubuque Road at the bridge.
For a longer run you can paddle down to the Snohomish River and takeout at the boat ramp off Lincoln Ave or at Cady Park off First Street in downtown Snohomish. |
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Other IssuesWood: Most of this section is usually fairly clean of wood. One notable exception is a broad section just upstream of Dubuque Road. There is nearly always wood here and it can be riverwide. It's advisable to take a peek at this section during the shuttle. Just turn onto Dubuque Road and take a look from the bridge. |
Fun FactsOn warm sunny days you may be sharing the river with swimmers and tubers. |
Run Description [Season: Rainy]An easy but fun training run though forests, farms and suburban neighborhoods. The run is low gradient but still moves along nicely and has several interesting features: medium sized boulders and eddies perfect for beginners to learn the skills on.
Most of the rapids are quite easy gravel fans or small boulder gardens and it takes a bit of a stretch to consider them even class II.
NOTES ON LEVELS:
Can be run quite low, even down to 200 cfs, but 300 is the listed minimum for those who don’t want to scrape bottom too much.
Levels around 400-700 are best for beginner kayakers wanting to practice catching small eddies, etc.
Above 1000 the run is still good, but the rocks that create interesting features start getting covered making the run less interesting, however some nice small wave trains and a few small surf waves appear.
Just keep an eye out for wood. Wood becomes much more common in the river upstream from this section. Keep that in mind if you plan on extending this run.
Also, with the Centennial Trail next to much of this run, bike shuttles are possible.
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