| Cispus — 3 - FR 23 Bridge to FR 28 Bridge (The Upper)™ © |
Class III+(IV)
9.5Miles
Avg Gradient 61 fpm
River Mapplet
|
|
|
GPS/GIS |
Maps |
| Put In Longitude : |
-121.73555 |
Putin |
| Put In Latitude : |
46.375 |
| Take Out Longitude : |
-121.83333 |
Take Out |
| Take Out Latitude : |
46.4455566 |
| County : |
Lewis |
Shuttle
|
|
Gauge Information (Professor Paddle updated levels from CISPUS RIVER AB YELLOWJACKET at 5/1/2025 1:25:50 AM)
| Gauge |
Forecast |
Height |
Current Flow |
Authority |
Physical Update |
|
CISPUS RIVER AB YELLOWJACKET
|
NWRFC | FC Page |
14.95 |
1260 cfs
|
USGS - NWIS |
2025-05-01 01:00:00 |
|
Minimum Recomended Level: 900 cfs Maximum Recomended Level: 3000 cfs
|
Putin DetailsTo get to the put-in, drive up FR 23 to mile 19.5 and a little concrete bridge crosses the river. We put in on the river right side. |
Takeout DetailsFrom the town of Randle, off of Highway 12, take Cispus Road south across the Cowltiz River (right next to the county resturant) and continue to the fork of FR 25 and FR 23. Take the left fork and follow FR 23. At mile 9.1 FR 28 turns off to the right and crosses the river in less than a mile. This is the normal takeout. There is a lot of flat water to this takeout though, so... get back on FR 23 and drive untill you see the river on your right and a little dirt access road on the right heading towards the river. Take this and park at the end, this cuts out prolly a mile and half of flatish water. |
 River Alerts ( Add Alert ) |
Pinned Forum Threads |
|
There are no alerts listed for this Run.
|
There are no forum threads pinned to this run.
|
Fun FactsNot a lot of play on this river but the shuttle is short and sweet. Easy to run a lap or two in a day, especially if you camp at either the takeout or the putin. |
Run DescriptionAdam and I decided we would check out the Cispus and see what it was all about on Memorial Day 2009.
The run starts out with a lot of nothing. Really shallow and boney. Not much to speak of. Then as you start to get a little more gradient and a little more water it gets hot!
When we were there we noticed a lot of wood in the water and on the banks.
The first rapid we came to was introduced to us via a sharp bend to river right and a split channel. Nothing of mention here but about a 1/4 mile downstream the pace picks up significantly. There were two obvious routes down this rapid. We started river left and ferried through some chop and skirted a large tree in the middle of the river to end up in an eddy on river right above a ledge. There is a fun little chute here with a boof on the left side of the chute.
As soon as you are out of this rapid the river curves to the left and you are on top of the next rapid. There is a 4'or 5' ledge on far river right and there is a sweet spot close to the rock wall on river right. I ran this but lost all momentum in the hole above the ledge and had an interesting stern squirt experience, so be warned... Then you have a huge rock in the center of the river as it narrows a bit. There are lines on both sides of this rock but we could not see the river right side from our scout position. Adam ran the left side and was fine; I rolled up and made the executive decision to probe the right side for future boaters. No pins or other fun stuff but it’s a bit of a drop with a large hole that pushes into the base of the center rock. Hit it with momentum.
Now, as the river curves back to the left, you are at the top of "White Lightning" the one class IV rapid on this run. We did not know this and had no time to eddy out. You will see a horizon line with a with an alligator tooth shaped rock in the middle, soft forest on river left and a hard, vertical basalt wall on river right. I ran left of the entrance rock and boofed a large hole. There is a tree in the water paralleling the rapid and sticks out into the rapid at the bottom of the drop. If you flip, roll fast. The right side looked fine as well. Prolly worth a scout...
| Who's Watching |  Upcoming Trips on this Run | Trip Reports |
|
|
|
|
|