Twisp
Buttermilk Creek to town of Twisp
| Difficulty | III |
| Length | 13 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 54 fpm |
| Gauge | Twisp River Near Twisp, Wa |
| Flow Rate as of 1 hour | 901 cfsrunnable |
| Reach Info Last Updated | July 17, 2022 |
Projects
The Okanogan and Wenatchee National Forests encompass more than four million acres and are jointly managed with headquarters in Wenatchee, Washington. The rivers flowing through these forests are essential to the whitewater paddling community—both as close-to-home runs for Washington residents and as classic objectives for paddlers traveling from across [...]Read More
The Methow Valley is one of the most important landscapes in the state of Washington and of national significance for outdoor recreation with a diversity of opportunities for the recreational pursuits our members enjoy. Every spring, whitewater boaters enjoy the experiences on the Methow River, Chewuch River, and Twisp [...]Read More
River Description
Spring snow melt out of the Lake Chelan - Sawtooth Wilderness makes the Twisp a great class III whitewater run with nearly continuous action. Typical trips start by gathering at the bakery in Twisp. The river corridor is largely in private ownership but it is mostly forested with a few cabins along the riverbanks.
From the upper put-in at Buttermilk Creek the river begins with fun class II. Be aware of wood hazards which can occur anywhere along the run but particularly in the first couple miles.
As you pass Little Bridge Creek (an alternate put-in location) the action begins to pick up as the run transitions to class III. For the next 4.5 miles you will enjoy continuous intermediate whitewater. Midway along this section you will reach the fish collection dam (a sign warns of the approach). It's an easy portage on river left but can be run in the right location at certain flows.
Downstream of the dam is a great rapid and some more fun bedrock headwalls. As you pass under the Poorman Cutoff Road Bridge (a possible take-out for those looking for a short run) the action tapers off and transitions to class II.
You can continue on the river all the way into town and take out at the park where the Twisp joins the Methow River. It's a nice grassy park to dry out your gear and hang out or just walk up the street to local establishments in town while the shuttle drivers pick up the put-in cars.
Logistics: You can take-out at Twisp Park at the Methow River confluence. Head east off Highway 20 at mile 201.4 and turn onto Twisp Avenue in the middle of town. Continue two blocks then turn left on Lincoln Street and follow it a block to the Twisp Park and public swimming pool where the Twisp River joins the Methow (from here it is walking distance to the bakery or other businesses in town).
To reach the put-in and alternate access points upstream, head west off Highway 20 mile 201.4 on 2nd Avenue which becomes Twisp River Road. At 1.2 miles
...River Features
Buttermilk Creek Bridge Put In
Put-in at the upstream river right side of the Buttermilk Road Bridge. Parking is available for a few cars and it is a short walk to the river.
Dispersed Camping Area
Dispersed camping area on Forest Service land that makes a potential location to spend the night and launch from where you camp.
Little Bridge Creek Access
Roadside access at the start of the class III.
Fish Collection Dam
Portage around this structure on the left.
Poorman Creek Cutoff Bridge
Access is available at this bridge that marks the end of the class III.
Twisp River Bridge at Poorman Creek Road
This is a good access point that is often used as a take-out for those not continuing all the way into town.
Twisp Park Take Out
Take out in Twisp Park at the confluence with the Methow River.
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportDespite earlier reports of wood on here and from John at EQPD in town, I saw none on my solo packraft trip from Buttermilk Creek down to the intersection of Twisp River Rd and Poorman Creek Road. Just a fun continuous II/III run with a beautiful bike shuttle.
Wood report:
Two logs between the Buttermilk put in and Litte Bridge creek. Photo is of the log that we saw on our shuttle after the run (log was not there before). It is a couple hundred feet above the little bridge creek put in. The other log is roughly half way between Buttermilk to Little Bridge Creek (Class 2 section). At these flows there is a small eddy on river right where you can boat scout. We ferried over to the small eddy on river left just above the wood and took the small left channel under the eddy (more slow water). River right channel is small and looked a bit spicier.
Logs that are below the Poorman creek bridge before the take out at the Confluence Park are out of the river's channels (there is still wood in that section but it is in the middle of the river and is easy to miss if you just stay river left.
Otherwise, super fun flow. VERY continuous and not too many eddies. The dam is a just a fun big wave.
Access at the Twisp Park at the confluence with the Methow River.
Took an early morning lap on the lower Twisp the other day. There is an access spot where Poormans Creek Rd butts up against the river just a couple miles up the river from Twisp, this was the put in.
This is an interesting river, the action and gradient are nearly continuous and there are few eddys along the side, even at 620cfs, which seemed like the perfect flow for this river. There were three rapids that stood out, the first being right around the bend before the Twisp River Road bridge and the next being about a quarter mile downstream. The second rapid had a really clean hole on the right side that proved to be a lot of fun. Not too far downstream is a rotary screw trap which is easily avoidable on the left half of the river. Just around the corner is a riverwide logjam that must be portaged at this flow. I used the eddy river left about 40 feet upstream of the structure and made the quick and easy portage to the other side.
From here down to the highway 20 bridge is nearly constant action with class II+ boulder garden features and some pieces of wood here and there. As you pass under the highway bridge, the river pushes up against the right wall where there are several old cars jammed up against the bank. Keep off the bank but enjoy the rapid that flows by because it is the last of the three rapids that stood out to me. Just downstream the riverbed opens up and flows into the Methow, you are able to run one rapid on the Methow before pulling off in the big eddy river right.
I made a crucial mistake during my run, I put in at ~8:30am and did not bring sunglasses. This is a generally east flowing river, so bring your sunnies if you're going out for a morning lap!
Had a fun run from Buttermilk creek to the Methow confluence on 4/22/21 at 950 cfs. The wood report from the alert posted on May 1st 2020 still seemed pretty accurate. The only thing that I'd want to add is that there are also a couple wood hazards between Buttermilk and Little Bridge Creek. The first downed tree spans the left 80% of the river, shortly after the put in, where the river comes back together after splitting around an island. Taking the right channel around the island will set you up nicely to skirt right of the log. The second noteworthy strainer was river wide. It is at the bottom of a little class 2 rapid. At 950cfs, there was a fairly large eddy on river left upstream of the log you can catch to walk over it. We also portaged the fish collection dam as we were running inflatables and there were some sharp looking branches protruding from the dam.
On July 4th, 2018 we paddled the Twisp at 277cfs to 280cfs. We ran from Little Bridge Creek to Poorman Rd. Cutoff. It was bony (rocky) but doable. We had a couple of short-term rock pins and high sides that we overcame quickly. There were no log issues and we had a clean run over the fish weir.
Good times at 2000 cfs--continuous class III+ for most of the run with fast current at few eddies. One channel-spanning log just upstream of Little Bridge Creek. We were able to boat over it at 2000 cfs (barely) but much lower and it would be a portage. Fish collection dam was no problem down the middle at this flow.
Had a good run over Memorial Day weekend with flows of 1100 cfs. It took a little over two hours to run the 11 miles from Buttermilk Creek Bridge down to the Twisp River bridge. We had channel-spanning log that had to be portaged a couple miles into the run. We also portaged the fish collection dam although it looked like you could run it just right of center at the flows we experienced. Lots of wood in play and along the banks but nothing that gave us any trouble. This is a fun intermediate run with sections of fun continuous class III with a few stretches of class II.
Very runnable down to 550 CFS or even slightly lower. Some wood on the river - one log we were able to sneak under at low water.
Drive up the Twisp Valley at low water.