| Pilchuck River — 1-Road P-500 above Boulder Creek to Menzel™ © |
Class III+(IV)
4Miles
River Mapplet
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GPS/GIS |
Maps |
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Snohomish |
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Gauge Information (Professor Paddle updated levels from PILCHUCK RIVER NEAR SNOHOMISH at 4/30/2025 7:25:23 PM)
| Gauge |
Forecast |
Height |
Current Flow |
Authority |
Physical Update |
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PILCHUCK RIVER NEAR SNOHOMISH
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n/a |
10.57 |
205 cfs
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USGS - NWIS |
2025-04-30 18:45:00 |
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Minimum Recomended Level: 900 cfs Maximum Recomended Level: 2000 cfs
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Putin DetailsFrom the takeout, To get to the put in road, drive 0.7 miles back toward Granite Falls to a large gravel turnout / road on the East side of the Menzel Lake road that is gated 100 yard off the pavement.
To get to the putin, hike about 4 miles up this gravel road. Just stay on the main road, it’s pretty obvious and don’t make any turns and you’ll soon see the river off and on during your hike. One putin just upstream of the gorge is at coordinates: N48 01.969’, W121 50.867’ It took us about 2 hours to hike from the car to this putin.
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Takeout DetailsHead through Granite Falls on Hwy 92 and turn right on S. Adler Ave. At the Tee with E Pioneer Street, turn left. E Pioneer becomes Menzel Lake road. Drive 5.5 miles from this intersection to the bridge over the Pilchuck River. This is the takeout. There isn’t any parking right here so it’s probably best to just leave the cars at the putin. |
 River Alerts ( Add Alert ) |
Pinned Forum Threads |
 As of 4/22/2013, there was no channel-blocking wood but lots of wood on the sides that would be bad to swim into. Hike in is easy and quiet, as the road seems to be closed to all motors. - Posted by: TomMarley on 5/2/2013 6:19:00 PM -
[Remove Alert]
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There are no forum threads pinned to this run.
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Fun FactsThere is a great canyon that is an exellent intro to creeking for III+ / IV- boaters. |
Run DescriptionNote: Run Description based on flows of about 1140 cfs.
Put in on moving class II water and soon you’ll see the canyon walls close in on you and come to a fantastic Class IV- gorge. There are plenty of eddies to boat scout from or to jump out and look. At higher water, the eddies will get smaller and you’ll want solid Class IV skills in here. There are several good rapids in here and it’s tough to not smile the whole time in the canyon.
The river mellows out to moving class I/II water after the canyon. Enjoy the nice float and the lush forest scenery. After a while, you’ll come to some easy III rapids to pick your way down.
UPDATE: Near the end of the run there used to be a lowhead dam. The dam was removed in August 2020 to help out the fish.
1/8 mile after the old dam site is the takeout bridge over the river.
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