Humptulips, W. Fork,

1 - FR 2204 bridge to FR 2203 access (Gorge)

West Fork Humptulips

West Fork Humptulips
Photo by Thomas O'Keefe В© taken 11/03/06

Gauge Information

Name	Range	Difficulty	Updated	Level
HUMPTULIPS RIVER BELOW HWY 101 NR HUMPTULIPS, WA
usgs-12039005	800 - 15000 cfs	IV+	00h35m	7690 cfs (rc= 0.5 )
	Flow range for best boatability uncertain. Please help your fellow boaters with a comment or report. Gauge is downstream of confluence of East and West Fork. Actual flow in this reach will be considerably less than gauge.

River Description

SEASON: November to April with rainfall

ACCESS: At Hwy 101 mile 112.6 (approximately 4 miles north of the bridge across the Humptulips), take Donkey Creek Road (FR 22) east off Highway 101. Continue 7.6 miles (just east of the bridge across Donkey Creek) and take a hard left onto FR 2203 (also Rayonier 7940) which heads back west. Stay right where the road forks at mile 0.9 and again at mile 1.2 (if you were to take this second left fork you'd find it ends at the river in 0.2 miles--there is no bridge here as indicated on some maps). Continuing on you'll cross Rainbow Creek and parallel the West Fork Humptulips. Stay on the main road and avoid spurs that head off to the right. The road ends at mile 3.5 where it winds down to a nice access on the river (note: the last quarter mile is a little rough and you may want high clearance). To reach the put-in, return to FR 22 and head east 0.6 miles (mile 8.2) to the FR 2204 turn-off. Take this nice paved road 4 miles north to the put-in bridge. An alternate route to the put-in is from the Newberry Creek Road (FR 2220) from Highway 101 mile 117.0. FR 2220 connects up with 2204 and takes you to the put-in bridge but this makes your shuttle much longer as you have to go out and around on Highway 101. Check with Forest Service regarding current conditions.

DESCRIPTION:

Short gorge less than a mile long. The first two of four major drops can be seen from the put-in bridge. The first drop is a nice 7-8 foot sliding drop. The second drop is the most challenging and technical. The third drop is probably the most fun, a technical sliding drop. The final drop is blind, but the preferred line is on the right which is a slide although you might not have enough water over there are the lower limit of flows. There is some run out after you run that drop (another 8-9 footer).

After this section the river calms down to class I and II. You can continue paddling on down the next section of the West Fork Humptulips. Alternatively, this is a good run to combine with a trip to Donkey Creek and some fun at Perfection Falls.

for additional information see:

• Korb, G. 1997. A paddlers guide to the Olympic Peninsula. third edition.
• local expert: Gary Korb & Carol Volk, 4930 Geiger Road, Port Orchard, WA 98366, 206-876-6780
• Pacific Ranger District, South - USFS Olympic National Forest web site