Cispus, WA

Upper Cispus

Upper Cispus
Photo of Rich Bowers by Tom O'Keefe taken 20APR2002 @ 1500 cfs

Gauge Information

River Description

LOGISTICS: Starting from the town of Randle (Highway 12 mile 115), take Cispus Road south across the Cowltiz River and continue for one mile to the fork of FR 25 and FR 23. Take the left fork and follow FR 23. At mile 9.1 FR 28 turns off to the right and crosses the river in less than a mile. This is the put-in for the lower and one potential access point, but continuing upstream avoids the braided channels near the FR 28 bridge. A good pullout can be found by continuning on FR 23 to mile 12.7, past the North Fork Cispus. There is a good access point here before the road heads up the hill and out of site of the river (if you take-out here you'll have about a 7 mile run). To reach the put-in, continue on FR 23 to mile 19.5 and the bridge across the river. Access can be found on downstream river left.

DESCRIPTION: With nearly 30 mile of continuous intermediate whitewater, the Cispus provides one of the longest continuous whitewater trips in the state. By combining this section with the Lower Cispus you'll find opportunities for overnight excursions through the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.

Starting from the FR 23 bridge the river hits some good class II and III boulder garden rapids. About 2 miles into the trip the pace begins to pick up as the river enters a constrained bedrock section. There is one drop in particular here (class IV) that forms some good-sized holes and may be worth a scout on river right. This section continues for nearly 2 miles to the confluence with Blue Lake Creek. After this the gradient tapers off slightly and there are more class II gravel bar rapids with some bedrock shelves here and there. With 1200 cfs you should be able to get through these fine, but as flows drop below 1000 cfs they would get a bit grungy. Log hazards are also especially prevelant in this area.

You're best off taking out near the North Fork Cispus as the river becomes even more braided between this point and the FR 28 bridge. In his guidebook North calls this section the Okeefenokee and you'll be able to see why on the drive up along the river.

For expert paddlers, other great runs in the immediate area include:

• Super Slides run on the Cispus
• Upper Upper Cispus
• North Fork Cispus
• McCoy Creek
• Yellowjacket Creek