River:  If you’re willing to deal with access issues, the Puyallup Canyon is a fantastic run, with a stunning “gated” entrance into a spectacular canyon with some healthy whitewater.  Whaley’s description in Bennett’s book is certainly dated – we never found the big “run right river-wide ledge” a few drops into the canyon.  On the other hand, we encountered a recent huge slide partway through the canyon that forced a few moments of concern and some creative portaging.    

Access:  After a discussion or two with the "gate keepers", we took advantage of a "first decent opportunity" on the SF Puyallup and approached via the west side road in Mt. Rainier NP.  This made for a unique wilderness experience, but the highlight is really the lower canyon.     

Guage:  Don’t forget that when the Electron powerhouse is on-line, they’re diverting water prior to the canyon and dumping it back into the river after the canyon but prior to the guage.  Hence, the reading at Electron is about 400cfs more than what you’ll experience in the canyon when they’re diverting.  We had a guage reading of 800 – 900cfs at Electron with the powerhouse on-line.    This seamed about right for a first time run.  And the best part…   This was July 31 & August 1!  Nothing like great whitewater in a deep canyon durning the heat of summer.