Soleduck, |
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| Usual Difficulty | IV (may vary with level) |
|---|---|
| Length | 3.1 Miles |
| Name | Range | Difficulty | Updated | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soleduck nr. Fairholm | ||||
| virtual-6272 | 750 - 4000 cfs | IV | 00h38m | 2181.3 cfs (rc= 0.4 ) |
FUN FACT: Good continuous class III+ boating with some fun IV rapids and a couple great play spots
SEASON: Winter rain storms. Generally best when rivers are moderately high.
PUT-IN: Salmon Cascade
TAKEOUT: FR 2918 (South Fork Soleduck Road) bridge
LOGISTICS: At mile 219.2 on Highway 101 take Soleduck Hot Springs Road south into Olympic National Park. The takeout can be reached at mile 4.2. You need to walk across the vegetated strip between Soleduck Hot Springs Road and FS 2918 to get to the bridge, but it's a short hike with boats (the two roads are connected at mile 3.6, but it's gated). The put-in is at mile 7.3 at the viewing area for Salmon Cascade. An alternative put-in is available upstream at the bridge near Olympic Hot Springs resort. Note that Soleduck Hot Springs road is typically closed with the first big snow and left closed until plowing at Hurricane Ridge stops. Check with Olympic National Park for the latest conditions. The Forest Service Road (FR 2918) on river left is left open so as long as the snow isn't too bad you can get almost as far as Salmon Cascade before the river starts to cut up hill away from the river. They usually know the situation at the Resource Information Center in Forks 360-374-7566.
DESCRIPTION: Although you can start higher up, the best whitewater really begins at Salmon Cascade. This class V drop has been run, but it's a little grungy and has a scary looking wall on river right. If you are putting in higher up it's worth a stop to check this drop out so you can plan your run or portage route accordingly. Most put in at the base of Salmon Cascade and enjoy continuous whitewater action all the way to the bridge. It's mostly continuous class III+ with a few class IV sections. Most of the run consists of endless boulder gardens. Everything of course cranks up a notch as the water rises, but most of the river is read and run. One of the last rapids is difficult to scout from your boat and you may find it necessary to take a look from shore. A large hole develops right of center that most will want to avoid. There are good eddies and some nice play spots at the bottom of this drop. Those who wish to lengthen the run can continue down as far as they want to one of the access points along Highway 101. The river backs of a notch in difficulty to class III after the FR 2918 Bridge.
lat/long approximated by Tiger map server
photo credit: John Ross at the last big drop on the Upper Soleduck, shot by Tom O'Keefe
for additional information see
You can get a pretty good look at most of this river from the road, but for those who like to be quantitative there is an old USGS gauging station (stn. 12041500, 1917-1980) at mile 4.9 on Soleduck Hot Springs Road. Look for a six-car pullout on the west shoulder of the road and a small brown trail sign marking a hiking route on the east side of the road. Follow the more hidden trail to the gauge on the west side of the road, directly opposite the hiking trail, down to the concrete gauging tower on river right. The staff gauge plate is on the downstream side of the tower and the base of the ladder is at 3.4 feet. Anything above 3.0 feet is good. For those trying to assess the run from a remote location, the virtual gauge provides approximate flow by weighting the Hoh River gauge (look for it to be up above 4000) to the basin area of the Soleduck at the old gauging station. Based on the historical data, the relationship is good (approx. 80% of the time), but not perfect.
| Name | Range | Difficulty | Updated | Level | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soleduck nr. Fairholm | ||||||||||||
| virtual-6272 | 750 - 4000 cfs | IV | 00h38m | 2181.3 cfs (rc= 0.4 ) | ||||||||
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| When | River/Gauge | Subject | Level | Reporter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soleduck [WA] |
Soleduck OC-2
|
2.6' | Thomas O'Keefe | |
| Soleduck [WA] |
Salmon Cascade, low water
|
n/a | Thomas O'Keefe | |
| 4y363d21h50m | Soleduck [WA] |
Salmon Cascade
|
2.4' | Thomas O'Keefe |
| 5y18d06h50m | Soleduck [WA] |
Salmon Cascade
|
2.4' | Thomas O'Keefe |
| 6y17d06h50m | Soleduck [WA] |
Surf Wave, Rausch
|
4.5' | Thomas O'Keefe |
| > 10 years | Soleduck [WA] |
Soleduck
|
3.3' | Thomas O'Keefe |
No rapids entered. If you know names, and locations of the rapids please contact and advise the StreamTeam member for this run. Memo and supporting documents on rivers eligible for Wild and Scenic designation within Olympic National Park
River Alert
State News
River Links
NWRI - Soleduck 1. Salmon Cascade to FR 2918 Bridge (mobile)
User Comments
clean all the way from the top but the center still has some wood in it. And the logs that had
accumulated at the ledge just downstream from the confluence with the South Fork (described in
other comments) are now completely gone!
restricted traffic to the one remaining lane in those sections. Repairs may occur in 2005. The run
was good on 27NOV2004, but the log jam is still in place just downstream of the confluence with the
North and South Fork. We were able to get by on the left but you might want to take a look at it as
new wood could collect up at any time. You can see it through the trees near road mile 5. Other
than that we had no other wood issues from Salmon Cascade down to the FR 2918 bridge.