Snoqualmie, Middle Fork, |
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| Usual Difficulty | II (may vary with level) |
|---|---|
| Length | 7.5 Miles |
| Name | Range | Difficulty | Updated | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIDDLE FORK SNOQUALMIE RIVER NEAR TANNER, WA | ||||
| usgs-12141300 | 1000 - 3000 cfs | II | 01h04m | 1770 cfs (rc= 0.4 ) |
SEASON: November rains and spring snowmelt. A consistent performer on weeknights late April through early June.
FUN FACT: One of the most scenic river trips easily accessible as a day trip from the Seattle area.
CURRENT ISSUES: Future management of the Middle Fork Snoqualmie is currently being discussed by several regional user groups and agencies. Check MidFORC's web page for the latest news.
LOGISTICS: To reach the river take exit 33 off I-90 and head north on 468th Ave. past the truck stop. The Middle Fork Road (FR 56) turns off to the right in 0.5 miles. Continue up this road to mile 5 and the Granite Creek Access (aka Concrete Bridge), which is on the downstream river left side of the bridge. This site is the traditional division between the Upper and Middle runs, but many paddlers looking to spend more time on the Upper Middle's best rapids will continue upstream to Russian Butte View access which serves as an alternate take-out. This site is at mile 8 on DNR land just before you reach the Forest Service boundary at a point where the river comes up along the road, and a short distance downstream of the Pratt River confluence. This access can also be used as a put-in for those who want to start their trip here and then continue down on the easier first section of the Middle-Middle, taking out above Island Drop (a good beginner-intermediate trip).
For the put-in, you can continue up to mile 10.2 and a site known as Riverbend where the river runs up along the road at an unimproved camp site. This alternative puts you in downstream of Rainy Creek Rapid. For those interested in the full run, continue up to mile 11.3 and a small pull-out along the river known as Bridge View just before the turn into the Middle Fork Trailhead. The Forest Service has asked paddlers to use this site instead of parking at the trailhead and scrambling under the foot bridge. The Bridge View access is suitable for either rafts or kayaks. If you want to put in a couple miles higher and enjoy the incredible backdrop provided as you paddle past Mt. Garfield this is also an option (it also adds one more fun rapid at the Taylor River confluence). Continue up the Middle Fork Road road to mile 12 where you will cross the Taylor River and within 100 yards the Middle Fork Road continues by turning off to the right where it heads up a short hill (it's easy to miss this turnoff as the spur road, which looks like the main road and continues straight, comes to a gated dead end). From this point on the road is in poor condition but accessible by car. At mile 14.8 on this road you will see a pull-out marked by large rocks and a trail that leads into the river about 100 yards. This is a relatively new river access following purchase of this property by the Cascade Land Conservancy and transfer of the land to the Forest Service in 2006.
DESCRIPTION: This is a fun little run with beautiful mountain views. The rapids are not particularly difficult, but there are a lot of them and the current is always moving.
There are a couple of rapids that go right into headwalls. At higher flows, you can run these rapids far right and avoid the headwalls altogether. If you run the main wavetrain, avoid the instinct to try to paddle right at the bottom to avoid the headwall, as you will just get stuck in a huge eddy line and flip like I always do!
The action starts to taper off a bit once you pass the Pratt River confluence but many continue on downstream to Concrete Bridge. You can also extend the run even further by continuing on the first part of the Middle-Middle and taking out below First Island Drop at the old DNR Mine Creek Campground. This adds 3 great class III rapids, as well as some long, sweeping class II+ rapids, and the takeout is no harder than the one at the Concrete Bridge.
with contributions from David Elliott
We have no additional information about how various flows affect runnability (or playability) of this section of river. If you can provide additional information, please either directly contact the StreamTeam member for this reach, or add a 'comment' or a 'report' with your information to help out your fellow boaters.
| Name | Range | Difficulty | Updated | Level | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIDDLE FORK SNOQUALMIE RIVER NEAR TANNER, WA | ||||||||||||
| usgs-12141300 | 1000 - 3000 cfs | II | 01h04m | 1770 cfs (rc= 0.4 ) | ||||||||
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| When | River/Gauge | Subject | Level | Reporter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snoqualmie, Middle Fork [WA] |
Bridge View River Access
|
n/a | Thomas O'Keefe | |
| Snoqualmie, Middle Fork [WA] |
Russian Butte River Trail, before
|
n/a | Thomas O'Keefe | |
| Snoqualmie, Middle Fork [WA] |
Russian Butte View parking, after
|
n/a | Thomas O'Keefe | |
| Middle Middle of Snoqualmie [WA] |
Upper Middle from take-out
|
n/a | Mark Blakemore | |
| 1y176d02h17m | Snoqualmie, Middle Fork [WA] |
Taylor River Rapid
|
2600 cfs | Thomas O'Keefe |
| 2y175d10h17m | Snoqualmie, Middle Fork [WA] |
Upper Middle from Garfield Ledges
|
2030 cfs | Thomas O'Keefe |
| 3y171d10h17m | Snoqualmie, Middle Fork [WA] |
Rafting the Upper Middle
|
n/a | Thomas O'Keefe |
| 3y172d02h17m | Snoqualmie, Middle Fork [WA] |
This is one of the more challenging drops on the Upper Middle where the river fl
|
n/a | Thomas O'Keefe |
| 3y195d02h17m | Snoqualmie, Middle Fork [WA] |
Middle Fork Campground
|
n/a | Thomas O'Keefe |
| 4y289d01h17m | Snoqualmie, Middle Fork [WA] |
Russian Butte View
|
n/a | Thomas O'Keefe |
| Mile | Rapid Name | Class | Features (Legend) |
|---|---|---|---|
| -67.2 | Alternate Put-in |  | |
| -65.0 | Taylor River Rapid | II+ |  |
| -64.5 | Headwall Rapid | II+ | |
| -64.1 | Rainy Creek Rapid | II+ | |
| -60.5 | Russian Butte View | |
A couple boulders make a fun rapid just downstream of the Taylor River confluence. You can put in above the Taylor River or on the Taylor River itself to take in this drop.
This headwall rapid comes up just downstream of the put-in where the river pushes up against a bedrock wall. Stay right to continue downstream, splat the wall, or go left to circle into the "room of doom" eddy.
A fun headwall rapid and probably the most challenging drop on this section.
Testimony in support of Alpine Lakes Additions and Pratt and Middle Fork Snoqualmie Rivers Protection Act H.R. 1769.
Testimony in support of Alpine Lakes Additions and Pratt and Middle Fork Snoqualmie Rivers Protection Act S. 721.
River Alert
State News
River Links
NWRI - Snoqualmie, Middle Fork 3 - Taylor River to Concrete bridge (Upper) (mobile)
User Comments
access. There were apparently big washouts that occured on the road as well as the Taylor river
bridge being knocked out. The road crew said that the road could be closed as late as December
while repairs are done, making the bridge about the highest put-in possible on the MF. Edit
2009 for road repairs. This section is inaccessible during this period. Edit
great float w/o much action. We did portage the large strainer on the tall rock that is mentioned..
better safe than sorry. Edit
couple miles above Taylor River which made for a fun float below the base of Mt. Garfield. At one
point the channel splits--take the left fork to avoid a log jam in the right channel. Below the
Taylor River confluence there is a piece of wood wedged against the left side of the headwall that
creates the "room of doom" eddy so be sure to stay right. The piece of wood described below is also
still present. Our group had no trouble negotiating at 2600 cfs by just staying to the right side.
middle. What would be a tough rapid for a raft with most of the water slamming directly into a dump
truck sized boulder is made worse by a long tree trunk wedged against the rock and sticking out
into the river. If you don't hit the rapid perfectly on river right with a lot of momentum you can
be pushed by a strong eddy line directly into the narrow, powerful main current then against the
tree trunk. We didn't so ended up pinned against the tree, then flipped with the 14' bucket avon
ending up hung up under the tree and against the rock. All 4 experienced guys made it out but the
log jam on the left of the rock with a lot of water running through it or the raft against the rock
could have pinned one or more of us underwater after the flip. The tree trunk makes it a potential
death trap on an otherwise cl 2 river. Watch for the narrow channel flowing directly toward the
huge rock with a log jam on its left and high bar on the right. Some rocks on the bar jut into the
river so can catch your bow and spin you around with the same result.