Hey Guys,
Still not very familiar with all the goods in the area.
Have several homies visiting at multiple times this year and was wondering about some low key runs that show off some of the killer Washington scenery. Obviously i can find a list of the lower classed runs but personal experience as to the nature of the run, ease of access, and scenery are much appreciated.

Mainly looking for a run to take the GF/FAM on. Any and all ideas appreciated.

Everett area would be home base. Not scared of a drive though if camping is a good option.

there's the snoqualmie below the falls too... the falls are pretty sweet to check out. you put in below one class III rapid, but you can walk up to run it and also check out the falls. the rest of the run is short and class 2, but you could continue down to fall city.

the snoqualmie, sky, skagit, and sauk are all good options. the skagit and snoqualmie run late into the season.

Edited by PaddleGirl - 19 Mar 2015 at 5:49pm

Considering this won't be a very good "water year", choices might be limited.  If we luck out with some water in the rivers this spring / early summer (snow melt or rain), the above mentioned choices are good.  I'd also toss in a couple more options in the same vicinities.. . 

Upper Sauk (Bedal campground to Whitechuck confluence):  If your GF/FAM have solid class II ability, this is a nice stretch.   It has good mountain  views, a handful of class II drops, a couple that are II+.  The hardest drop is the one you see from the bridge over the Sauk as you approach the take-out.  If that's not to your liking, you can take out just upstream of this at the gauging station (requires a 5 minute trail hike)

Upper SF Skykomish (Skykomish to Baring):  This is a fairly straightforward class II section that is usually fairly clean.  I've used it for first-time IK'ers and it's been lots of fun.  It has some nice mountain views, a few fun drops, and super clear water.

Wenatchee (from Lake Wenatchee State Park on down to Chumstick Hwy bridge or all the way down to Hwy 2):  Good class II option if you're seeking sunshine and it's cloudy on the west side.

If it's later in the summer or things have just run out of water, you might also consider the dam to dam stretch on the Wynoochee on the southern Peninsula.  It's dam release and never drops below about 250cfs, which is enough water to enjoy this small river in kayaks or IKs.  It's a shorter stretch - maybe two miles - but it has some fun drops and it's easy to get in a couple of laps.  The last half mile also goes through a very pretty, steep walled gorge.  This gorge section is just moving water (no real rapids), so it's not intimidating for beginner boaters.  It's a drive from Everett, but there's some really nice camping and exploring to be had in the Wynoochee area.   

If all else fails, the Skagit (Goodell CG on down) will have water.   
         

We take our kids from lake Wenatchee State Park down the Wenatchee.  In August the water is warm, there is a beach to play at before starting the trip, and it is very scenic.

Adding my 2¢...

One of the biggest problems with class 2 runs around Western Washington is many of them have wood issues that make them not really suitable for beginners since class 3 or 4 experince can be needed on some of those runs to deal with the wood.

That said. Sticking to some of the larger rivers that are less prone to riverwide wood issues there are some good choices. Some have already been mentioned so my remention is an extra vote towards those runs:

Skagit: There's a a couple different runs, The S-bend run was already mentioned and is a very good candidate if comfortable with throwing in the bends, which contain 2 class 3 wave trains followed by a couple more rapids including a big mid-river rock that can create a big hole at some levels.

Also, either the Bacon creek to Marblemount or the Marblemount to Rockport runs are very scenic floats. Very little rapids on these stretches. Rapids are really more 1+ than II, but it is still a big river with strong currents and demands respect. But on a sunny day, the views from any of the Skagit runs are hard to beat.

SF Skykomish - from Beckler River to Baring. This has often been my go-to run for taking newbie IKers down. Just a few class 2 rapids and great mountain views. Also it's has a long season and is pretty clean. It's been a few years, so I'm a little hazy on where the best takeout is, but ususally used a roadside spot about 1/2 mile above Eagle Falls near Barclay creek.

Upper Wenatchee - Great views, long season (you can run it pretty low - 900 cfs is fine) and you can put in and take out a couple different places for longer, shorter run. Rapids are easy class 2. Probably a bit of push is you go when water is high, but unlikely to find that being a problem this year. Full run is from Lake Wenatchee to Tumwater campground. Although I think the access is messed up now that the redid the US2 bridge. There may be a better takeout a little ways down Tumwater canyon before the rapids kick in.

Upper MF Snoqualie - Uh... OK not really, since the road has major issues at this time. Also while the rapids are easy on this run, it can have wood issues. On a sunny day it has some of the best views anywhere in W. Washington.

Yakima - From the Entiat confluence down is a nice summer time option since you have dam regulated flows. Couple easy class 2s. Some nice basalt rock fomations and typical E. Wash scenery. Often a few drunks making asses of themselves too, but I think the larger majority of the drunken k-mart raft crowd concentrate on stretches downstream.

Cle Elum - The stretch from Salmon La Sac/Cooper down to the reservoir has a few fun class 2 rapids and great scenery. Fairly short run, but you can do it in laps/shifts. Going to have a higher wood possibility than other runs listed, so only take those you're confident can make a good eddy turn if needed. I don't think I'd recommend the run below the dam, even though it's class 2 because I understand its just very continuous gradient and would be a hard place to eddy out if there was wood (kinda Tieton-esque).

Upper Sauk - echo  jalmquist's sentiments on that one. Great run, as long as your paddlers are confident in making a move to avoid wood. There's always wood on this run, but it changes year to year how much any is in play.







Edited by JoesKayak - 20 Mar 2015 at 6:26pm