The W Fork of the Chehalis is one of the runs that came up in the "Intro Creeking" thread a few months back, and it looks like the most recent info on the AW site from 2004. I remember someone saying that this can be a tough one to catch, but on the off chance it's in the right range one of these weekends, I thought I'd tap into the PP knowledge base before heading down there.

The AW page mentions potentially gated access in the McDonald Tree Farm. Any new info concerning access and/or the river, best levels, guage-rocks, etc that anyone out there can share?

Many thanks.

The big floods in the Chehalis valley a couple of winters ago totally washed out the road just upstream of Pe Ell at about the top end of the short canyon.  We were able to hike up a few hundred yards and put in above the first drop (the island drop) that leads into the canyon.  Access above this to the West and East forks wasn't happening...  Of course, things could have changed - logging talks, especially in Lewis County. 

The upper Kalama is a cool run. The whitewater is good, not exceptional, but the river goes through some really neat canyons. This is the time of year to do it too. weyerhauser gates off access to the upper section, but it's usually open during hunting season. There's info on the AW page including a number to call to see if the gate is open.

http://americanwhitewater.org/content/River/detail/id/2139/