Snoqualmie, N. Fork

LOGISTICS: To reach the river, head north on Ballarat Ave. in the town of North Bend (one block east of the main intersection in town). Just follow Ballarat Ave. which will bend to the right and become SE 108th St. and bend back to the left where it becomes 428th. St. In 2.0 miles from the turn onto Ballarat you will cross the Middle Fork, and in 2.4 miles you will cross the North Fork. This bridge is the take-out, and King County recently developed a parking lot at this corner serving visitors to the Three Forks Natural Area that is also convenient for boaters. To reach the put-in, continue north from the bridge on 428th St. and in 1.5 miles you will reach a Y. At this point head up the hill to the left on North Fork Road, which becomes a dirt road, and after 5.4 miles you will reach a 4-way intersection at the Spur 10 gate. The put-in is one mile down the hill to the right (you will likely need to start hiking at this point). At one time you could just borrow a key from the Weyerhaeuser mill but then you had to purchase an access permit and could only drive down to the put-in bridge when someone was at the gate. Paddlers still have hopes of improving the access situation but for now the land is owned by Campbell Global, a company that charges for access permits.

DESCRIPTION:

Ernie's Gorge which is also known as the Black Canyon lies on the North Fork of the Snoqualmie River. It flows from north to south and joins the main flow of the Snoqualmie a few miles downstream in North Bend. Ernie's cuts along the base of Mt. Si, whose steep, 4,000 foot high west face soars out of the rolling farmlands below to define the western edge of the Cascade range. Although the river has been recommended for Wild and Scenic designation by the Forest Service and is in a Northwest Power and Conservation Council Protected Area, it has faced hydropower development threats over the years.

The take out is only about 40 minute

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