| Wenatchee — 4. State Play (Leavenworthless to Cashmere)™ © |
Class III
18Miles
Play Rating (1-10): 10
River Mapplet
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GPS/GIS |
Maps |
| Put In Longitude : |
-120.59540 |
Putin |
| Put In Latitude : |
47.5690651 |
| Take Out Longitude : |
-120.46552 |
Take Out |
| Take Out Latitude : |
47.5244713 |
| County : |
Chelan |
Shuttle
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Gauge Information (Professor Paddle updated levels from WENATCHEE RIVER AT PESHASTIN, at 8/12/2024 7:02:25 AM)
| Gauge |
Forecast |
Height |
Current Flow |
Authority |
Physical Update |
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WENATCHEE RIVER AT PESHASTIN,
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NWRFC | FC Page |
2.07 |
661 cfs
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USGS - NWIS |
08-12-2024 06:15:00 |
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Minimum Recomended Level: 2500 cfs Maximum Recomended Level: 20000 cfs
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AccessThere are several different Put In Locations so don�t be suprised if yours is not listed. The different Put Ins of course add extra distance and a few extra features to surf. Keep in mind there is a lot of private property along the river. Some are keen on Kayakers, others are not. When in doubt stick to public access spots. |
Putin DetailsThese are the Put ins and The Locations in Order by Distance.
1. Leavenworth
For the full run, the put-in is in Leavenworth. To access the main put-in turn onto E Leavenworth Road just east of the HWY 2 bridge over the river on the east side of Leavenworth. Continue .7 mile and turn right. The turn is on the outside of a bend and people fail to see it often so keep your eyes peeled. Big parking area here with outhouses and boat ramp. Can be very busy on spring weekends.
E Leavenworth Road can also be accessed via Icicle Creek road if you're coming from the west and don't want to drive through town.
2. Happy Wave
Just Past Peshastin off of HWY2 before Leavenworth there is a dirt pull out where a lot of people like to go to hit up Happy Wave. Some Choose to float down from this point. This put in is private property, so get permission directly from the land owner to launch here.
3. Peshastin Fishing Access
Turn off of HWY 2 and cross the Peshastin Bridge. Turn right onto School Rd. (Yeah, its by a school. How'd you guess?). Go to the end of the road. This Put In Places you above Rock and Roll and the Dryden Dam, which is directly below the Peshastin Creek confluence. Discover Pass or WDFW vehicle pass required and they will ticket you if you don't have one.
4. Below the Dryden Dam
Just East of the 97 intersection w/ HWY 2, turn between the Shell Station and The Big Y restaraunt. Turn left onto Saunders Rd and follow it a short distance, turning right immediately before crossing Peshastin Creek. You'll see a wide gravel lot right at the Dryden Dam, and you can put in downstream of it.
5. Above Rodeo Hole
Further east of the HWY2 x 97 interchange you will see a town called Dryden. Turn at the traffic light in Dryden onto Frontage Rd (or Stines Hill Rd). Just down this road on R. Right is a Gravel Pull Off which is known as the Upper Rodeo Put In.
6. Lower Rodeo Hole
Continuing to drive downstream on Stine's Hill Road, look for a left turn just before a house, before the crest of the hill. A gravel winds its way down to the river. Access directly to Rodeo Hole can be found here. A Discover Pass is required just to drive down and drop off people and boats, even if you don't stay and park. They can be looking to write tickets on busy weekends. |
Takeout DetailsThe main take out that is used for this river is the Cashmere River Side Park. Take out on R. Right. This is located just downstream of the bridge into town, on the left hand side of the street. A lot of raft companies use this take out, and there is lots of parking and quite a scebe on busy summer days. |
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Other IssuesHAZARD: The main harard on this run is the Diversion Dam at Dryden. The main drop is a drowning machine. It is located about 1/2 mile below Rock N Roll Rapids. Get out on the right just below the Peshastin creek confluence to portage. |
Fun FactsThe majority of Washington White Water Rodeo Competitions are held on the Wenatchee. There are great features for paddlers of all skill levels and the weather is usually 70s - 9os. |
Run Description [Season: Spring]The Wenatchee river is pretty much the most popular rafting run in the state. Boaters travel from every corner to play and run this hot river. The Wenatchee river is fed by snowmelt coming primarily from the White and other rivers which come off of Glacier peak. The Wenatchee river itself forms out of Lake Wenatchee, which is formed by the Little Wenatchee and White river. This river is known for its spectacular whitewater and burly drops along US2 outside Leavenworth. This stretch of less often run whitewater is known as Tumwater Canyon. After the river passes through Leavenworth it calms down to a Class III run.
This section contains Features that attract the hottest playboaters around. Large droves of commercial rafters can be seen up an down this stretch. Depending on what put in you choose, you should expect to see the rapids listed here. Besides these rapids you will find long stretches of calm Class II, and occasional waterfall from irrigation troughs, and even the elusive State Trooper waiting on HWY2 for you to speed.
MAJOR RIVER FEATURES LISTED FROM UPSTREAM DOWN:
Leavenworth Put-in
Boulder Bend Rapids (III @ low, III+ or IV- @ high)
Peshastin Flats (long section of flat water)
Peshastin Put-in
Rock N Roll (III @ low, III+ @ high)
DRYDEN DAM - extreme drowning hazard - portage right
Gorilla Falls (III)
Rodeo Hole (III) - Destination play spot. Comes in around 9K and gets bigger as flow increases
Drunkards Drop (III - III+) Huge waves including play spots that change depending on level, including Trinity Wave
Turkey Shoot (II) - Fun playspot. Much friendlier than Rodeo.
Snowblind (III+ @ med, IV- @ high)
Grannys (III - III+) This rapid features huge waves and hosts both the Granny's wave and Suffocator.
Cashmere take-out
FLOW INFO:
The Wenatchee is runnable at a wide range of flows. At lower flows it's a pretty easy going run, where at high water expect fast pushy water and huge waves and holes. The main season for the Wenatchee is spring snowmelt. Usually it gets started in March or April with peak flows usually occurring around late May to Early June. In years of low snowpack the water peters out in June, but in years with above average snowpack it often lasts well into July. Occasionally it will come up with rain when Pineapple express storms come through in winter. If you like low water boating, it can be run year-round.
700-2500 ELF Very low and bony but still gets run at these levels.
2500-4000 LOW Low, but runnable. Most rapids not harder than III-
4000-6000 MED-LOW Fun and filled in. Some nice wave trains and holes appearing. Great range for those just getting started with class III.
6000-10,000 MED Lots of great wave trains and playspots. Rodeo hole starts coming in over 9K
10,000 - 14,000 MED-HIGH Big-water fun really kicking in at this range. Great range for surfing rodeo hole. Several rapids are III+ to IV- and current gets quite fast. Cleanup after a swim getting more challenging.
14,000 - 20,000 HIGH Super fun big-water! Be sure you can handle fast pushy water. Many of the named rapids are a half to full class harder than at medium flows. The river is pushy and fast at these levels and swims can be epic. Some giant sized holes and waves. Snowblind and Boulder Bend in particular become enormous. You'll likely be sharing the river with driftwood too, so look out for logs.
WARNING: The section of Hwy 2/97 from Dryden to Cashmere is an EXTREME SPEED TRAP. The State Patrol fliess planes over this stretch regularly and you can expect to see a line of State Patrol cars just North of Cashmere waiting for you. The pilot uses an aerial speed measuring device which gauges speed based on vehicles travel times as they pass aerial marking on the HWY. Watch OUT They are looking for EASY MONEY!!!
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