This may border on sacrilege, coming from a river state like Oregon, but Washington has some outstanding white-water day trips on its rivers, too.
Oregonians tend to be smug about their rivers. And why shouldn't they be? They can easily join a commercial trip on any number of beautiful rivers, including the McKenzie, North Umpqua, Rogue, Deschutes and Klamath.Oregonians even have better access to some of Washington's best rivers -- the White Salmon, the Klickitat and the Wind, which empty into the Columbia River Gorge -- than most Washington paddlers.
But Washington's rivers shouldn't be overlooked. They offer some of the most enjoyable white water available on a day's outing from any of the big cities of the West. Among the commercially run favorites are the Sauk, Suiattle, Skagit, Methow, Wenatchee, Nooksack, Tieton, Toutle, Elwha and, the most rambunctious of all, the Skykomish.
(Note: The spell checker on this computer just went crazy over all those river names.)
The Skykomish River, which drains the west slope of the Cascades along U.S. 2, offers some of the wildest river adventure in Washington. Known locally as the "Sky," the river was the first in Washington to win federal protection as a wild and scenic river. Its sparkling water flows through moss-draped canyons and thunders over huge granite boulders. The river valley is surrounded by 6,000-foot-high snow-capped peaks.
For a more mellow river trip, but one that still has plenty of white-water action, try the Wenatchee River, which drains the east side of the Cascades along U.S. 2.
The Wenatchee is rated class 3 (fun but forgiving), while the Skykomish is class 5 (experienced paddlers only). The Wenatchee also has a class 5 section, but it is not routinely run commercially.
Washington's U.S. 2 corridor is filled with hiking trails that lead to outstanding scenery. The Mount Index area, with its 4,000-foot walls rising about the Skykomish River, is especially enticing.
The Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest maintains two campgrounds (Beckler River and Miller River) in the Skykomish River Valley near the town of Skykomish. The most convenient motels are in Monroe, the last town of size before the highway begins its climb into the mountains.
Washington's rivers are best during late spring and early summer, but glacial melt keeps some of them (especially the Sauk and the Suiattle) running high enough for paddling all summer long. The Tieton comes to life asfter labor Day weekend when water is released from Rimrock reservoir to give the farmers of the Yakima Valley one last surge of water for irrigation.
The rafting section of the Skykomish River is 45 miles east of Everett, between the small towns of Index and Gold Bar. The Wenatchee rafting section is on either side of Leavenworth.
Cost: Commercial river trips run from the $60 range for a half-day to $110 for a full day.
Information: To book an outfitter, look in local telephone business directories under rafting, or search the Web under www.e-raft.com. One local outfitter is www.alpineadventures.com.