| Chehalis — 1 - West Fork to Pe Ell™ © |
Class III-IV
13Miles
Avg Gradient 42 fpm
River Mapplet
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GPS/GIS |
Maps |
| Put In Longitude : |
-123.29264 |
Putin |
| Put In Latitude : |
46.4513283 |
| Take Out Longitude : |
-123.30391 |
Take Out |
| Take Out Latitude : |
46.5694656 |
| County : |
Lewis |
Shuttle
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Gauge Information (Professor Paddle updated levels from CHEHALIS RIVER NEAR DOTY, WA at 5/1/2025 7:25:52 AM)
| Gauge |
Forecast |
Height |
Current Flow |
Authority |
Physical Update |
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CHEHALIS RIVER NEAR DOTY, WA
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NWRFC | FC Page |
306.96 |
165 cfs
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USGS - NWIS |
2025-05-01 06:30:00 |
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Minimum Recomended Level: 1000 cfs Maximum Recomended Level: 3500 cfs
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AccessThere is a new road that goes right to the confluence of the east and west forks, but a Weyerhauser gate prevents non-privileged folks from driving there. If you want to boat on this river, you gotta hike for it. Also, camping is prohibited on Weyerhosers land, and you definitely should not park your vehicle overnight. |
Putin Details1. From the take-out head east on Hwy 6 toward Pe Ell, and turn right on 3rd St. This becomes Muller Rd about 1/4 mile from Hwy 6 (as it bends slightly right).
2. About 3/4 mile from Hwy 6, turn right on Muller Rd, go past the Weyerhauser complex.
3. Just after the road makes a hard left and starts going up a hill, turn right onto an old, blocked-off road that leads down to a bridge. This is where the hike starts.
4. Hike across the bridge and another 1/4 mile or so, keeping an eye out for a hard left turn onto an even less used road.
5. Turn left onto the older road and go another 100 feet (you'll know when to stop because the road ends and the river starts).
6. Load up your boat and paddle across the mouth of a side creek and rejoin the now much less used road.
7. Pack back up and resume hiking. Pretty much just going upstream from here, across a few washouts, about 10 more miles to the confluence of the east and west forks.
An alternate put-in is about 3/4 mile before the confluence at the 2011 bridge, or anywhere along the hike you decide you need to put on to get out before dark. |
Takeout DetailsCenter St (Hwy 6) bridge due west of downtown Pe Ell. |
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Other IssuesYou'll probably see some Weyerhosers out there. Hiking and boating are legal; camping is NOT. |
Fun FactsTwo very remote-feeling, beautiful little class IV gorges with fun and fast class II-III for miles in between. Many, many washouts and other signs of major flooding. ZERO portages (as of March 2012). |
Run Description [Season: Rainy, but not too rainy]There's a good read in the Bennett Bible about this one. The first gorge, called Cape Horn (some maps show "Fisk Falls" here), is about 6 miles from the confluence and the slightly harder of the two. The last drop at Cape Horn has a sticky hole on the right side and a bit of mank on the left. It's worth the easy scout from river left.
The class IV in the second gorge can be seen from the bridge where the hike starts, but it's much faster and steeper than it looks from there or anywhere else but from a boat. Another easy scout, this time on the right.
Below the second class IV, there are some fast class II-III waves and a mini-gorge with some of the best scenery of the trip. If it weren't so short (maybe 2.5 miles), it would be a great scenic run. Oh, and maybe if the takeout wasn't a 100-yard bushwhack up to the 50-foot bridge.
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