Skip to main content

White Water Rafting Rivers Makes More Sense

Strange, awkward title, Even for keyword reasons. Ought to be "White Water River Rafting Rivers in the state of Washington".

The information, however, is excellent, and certainly not automated gobbledygook.

Green River Gorge

Three Doors Rapid just below the Nozzle can be a big surprise when the river is cruising above 2,500 cfs. It is highly unlikely the Green will run in 2010.

Cispus River

Watch for sweepers and logjams on the Cispus. Contact someone who rafts the river on a somewhat regular basis before attempting it. Or hire an outfitter.

Skykomish River

Actually, Snohomish County is the managing agency that requires helmets, and the Wind River in the Columbia Gorge is much more challenging.

Boulder Drop Rapids, though much easier than it once was with non-self-bailing rafts, is sometimes considered to be Class V. The main reason being that rescue at Boulder Drop can be very difficult at higher water levels.

Sauk and Suiattle Rivers

I have no idea why the Sauk River gets such short shrift here because of these two rivers the Sauk River is ten times more enjoyable, even for novices. If there is Class IV on the Sauk, it is only a couple of Class IV 'moves'.

The Sauk River is also fed by glaciers and is often navigable late into the summer. Orion River Rafting rafted it one year on the 22nd of August.

All in all this is a nice compendium of the commercially rafted rivers in the state of Washington.

in reference to:

"Water Rafting Rivers"
- Water Rafting Rivers (view on Google Sidewiki)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Jim Fielder - Washington River Rafting Pioneer

Jim Fielder was, as they say, larger than life. The former middle school teacher, beloved by many, and former white water rafting outfitter , envied by even more, lost his life recently due to poor electrical wiring and a flash fire.  He lived on Queen Anne hill in a house handed down to him by his mother. The Queen Anne News reported that he was also a former screenwriter and novelist of true crime stories.  I know he had published a book or two, and I know he wrote an insightful article about Mary Kay Letourneau for a women's magazine, but I don't know if I would characterize anyone who has been published as being 'former'.  Once a writer, always a writer. Jim Fielder owned Zig Zag River Runners from the late 70s through the early 90s, and that is how I know him.  But the last time I saw him, he was haunting a Queen Anne coffeehouse, absorbing information and scheming about subject matter you could sink your teeth into.  He was long past his white water outf

Best Time for River Rafting in Leavenworth

The ideal time to river raft the Wenatchee River is between May and July. May is peak, snow-melt runoff, so the water will be cold, the air temperature in the 70s and the water level can be moderate to high. June is nice because the ambient temperature has risen considerably, while the river levels usually are still good enough to provide some exciting white water. July is typically low and slow, but the weather is reaching the high 90s, so rafting continues to be fun, but more memorable due to water-fighting and voluntary swims. Orion River Rafting provides daily, unhurried river trips out of Leavenworth, Washington. Established 1978. http://orionexp.com in reference to: "Spring mountain snowmelt creates excellent rafting conditions in the Wenatchee River." - Leavenworth, Washington - A Great Place to Visit ( view on Google Sidewiki )

River Rafting Rescue 101

Rivers are cold in the state of Washington. Gushing down the slopes of the North Cascade mountain range, westbound toward the Salish Sea and eastbound toward the Columbia, Washington rivers are the result of melting snowfields, diminishing glaciers, brisk Pacific Northwest rainfall and subterranean cold water springs. Meanwhile the Skagit River has all of those factors plus it is water spilled through turbines released from the depths of a very deep and very cold Ross Lake. For those specific reasons, it is not unusual to be wearing neoprene throughout the white water season in the grey and mossy Pacific Northwest. Even on the Skagit in August. And when the river is running high in the spring from snow melt, not only is the temperature of the water frigid (prolonged exposure to 70 degree water induces hypothermia - as I can attest to on a pleasant afternoon without a splash jacket on the Pucon River in Chile) it is moving rather fast. 'Swimmers', as we call persons over