| Taylor — bl. Marten Creek to MF Snoqualmie™ © |
Class IV
3Miles
River Mapplet
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GPS/GIS |
Maps |
| Put In Longitude : |
-121.50472 |
Putin |
| Put In Latitude : |
47.5772209 |
| Take Out Longitude : |
-121.53221 |
Take Out |
| Take Out Latitude : |
47.560833 |
| County : |
King |
Shuttle
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Gauge Information (Professor Paddle updated levels from Virtual at )
| Gauge |
Forecast |
Height |
Current Flow |
Authority |
Physical Update |
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Virtual
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n/a |
0 |
Virtual cfs
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3rd Party Gauge
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Minimum Recomended Level: 450 cfs Maximum Recomended Level: 650 cfs
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Putin DetailsThis description will lead you to a put-in well shy of Marten Creek, but will deposit you just a few feet of where the action begins. After crossing the first bridge over the Taylor River, take the first left and drive until you arrive at a parking lot with a locked iron gate at the far end. Park here. If you want to extend the run a bit, drop the boats and everyone but the driver here, and park your vehicle near the Taylor River bridge.
From the parking lot, plan on hiking for between 45 minutes to an hour (roughly a mile) on a wide, well maintained trail/retired road, to reach the put in via the only significant trail veering away on the right. The first sign that you're getting close to the put-in will be a significant jumble of old-growth trunks, that looked like they were swept downhill in a mudslide, just to the left of the trail. Next, look for a smallish alder that's arched over the trail. Just beyond the arched tree, watch for what looks like a fork of the original road breaking away to the right. There should be some flagging marking this fork in the trail, just in case the trail itself isn't visible enough. From here it's about another five minutes to the river.
If you've got a map with you, you should be just about parallel to the point where the creek that drains Lower Mount Garfield and or Charlie Brown Lake - Lower Mount Garfield Creek joins the Taylor River
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Takeout DetailsUpper parking lot or Taylor River Bridge. |
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Other IssuesIt's worth noting that this description is based on basically continuous scouting from the bank. I think that the information is most likely complete and reasonably accurate - but time (and first hand beta from actual descents) will tell.
The MM was at ~1600 and dropping during this scout, and is the reference flow for the photos. Probably very bony and unpleasant below ~2000cfs on the MM gauge. |
Run DescriptionOverall Character:
From the put-in listed above, this run likely checks in at ~1-1.5 miles, depending upon where you decide to take out.
Three long, complex, and continuous boulder gardens (the first of which is lurking immediately below the put-in) that *look* like they probably check in in the IV+ to V- range at high water, but evidently paddle at the class IV grade when the MM is in the vicinity of ~2500 cfs (snowmelt).
Each of these drops is separated by roughly a quarter mile of continuous gradient IIIish boogie water, and are followed by a fourth and final significant drop. This is an 8-10 foot high Class IVish ledge drop that signals the end of the significant rapids. What's left? One-quarter to one-half a mile of IIIish boogie water to the takeout, depending on where you left your car.
Even though it sounds like the drops all go at a reasonable class IV level if the water isn't too high - the fact that they're very long, complex, and set amidst nearly continuous gradient gave me the sense that your average class IV boater would be wise to take these drops seriously, scout judiciously, and try to hit the river on the low-side of the boatable flows for a first trip down. The photos* cover most of the significant features on the principal drops - hopefully they'll be helpful for folks who want to get a sense of what the river is like without having to hike out there.
*Taken when the MM was ~1600 cfs and dropping, 1/10/10
Minimal wood in play at the time of writing, but there's plenty stacked on the banks, so assume a significant wood hazard and scout/paddle accordingly
Check the "Features" for a bit more info on the major rapids.
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