Wind
1. Above Falls Creek to Mineral Springs Rd. (Upper Upper)
| Difficulty | III+(IV) |
| Length | 5.3 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 91 fpm |
| Reach Info Last Updated | March 24, 2025 |
Projects
Washington’s legendary volcanoes – Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens, and Mount Adams – are the source of wild, free-flowing rivers and streams that cascade over big drops and through deep basalt canyons on their way to the Columbia River. Rivers like the Clear Fork of the Cowlitz, Cispus, Green, [...]Read More
While the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act provides the strongest protection for conservation of rivers, other legislation has provided protection of rivers from hydropower development. Section 13 of the Columbia Gorge Scenic Area Act includes important river protection measures. The Wind, Hood, and Little White Salmon were protected from [...]Read More
River Description
The Upper Upper wind is a fun adventure run that doesn't get as much attention as many of the Gorge Classics. It is unique in that while the rapids are mostly class III, class IV skills are needed to deal with some wood and the general nature of the run.
Look for 6.5-7.5' on the Stabler Gauge for a first time run.
https://apps.ecology.wa.gov/continuousflowandwq/StationDetails?sta=29C100
Put in at the first place the shuttle road is adjacent to the river and class I upstream of the Falls Creek confluence. If you go any further upstream you will see the river turn into gravel bars with lots of logs.
Put In: 45.91439277191931, -121.9501145025027
Take Out: 45.87470196780343, -121.97846612546935
The run starts off easy but pleasant with some nice rapids that give you a good feel for the character of the run. Falls Creek enters on the left and there is some easy floating before things pick back up at some roadside rapids that can be scouted during the shuttle. These fade, then the whitewater picks back up again with a section remeniscient of a class III version of the Farmlands section of the White Salmon, with narrow rapids racing between short gorge walls. This section culminates in a left bend that leads to Kingpin, the most significant rapid of the run, which is commonly portaged on the right due to a central sieve in the rapid.
Downstream are more fun read and run rapids like Fenced In and Dan's. This last set of good rapids ends when Ninemile Creek enters on the left. Below here it's class II, but be on the lookout for a dangerous log jam on a blind right turn (the second below Ninemile Creek). There is no eddy on the right where the portage is, so boaters must get out of their boat in moving water and get onto a gravel bar. It can be nice if a confident boater goes first, and helps catch the rest of the grou
...River Features
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Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportMarch 3, 2025
7.2' and rising
The day after the Wind River Race a group of 3 R2 rafts, a shredder-like boat, and 2 kayaks ran this section. Level felt like a friendly medium. The storm supplying the water was rain on snow.
We portaged Kingpin on the right (runnable on the left), and portaged twice downstream for logs, including the blind logjam on the right hand turn 0.4 miles below Ninemile Creek. There wasn't an eddy, but the water is moving slow enough and we spaced out enough that stopping on the river-right gravel bar was not a problem.
There were a couple more log ducks on the run, but overall the wood wasn't bad.
Flow is really hard to measure. I think we had a medium high flow because it was fairly continuous and harder to catch eddies than I thought it would be from previous trip reports. The Stabler Gauge read 6.8 feet but since it was in a snowmelt cycle I think the mainstem had more water than the low level creeks making this section a 'medium high.'
We took duckies to make it easier to jump out above logs which was really nice. The wood situation was not good. Others have described this as a Class III+ run but the wood makes it a solid Class IV run and I'd say at least someone needs Class V group skills and looking out for wood skills. Swimming on this section would not be good as it would be hard to rescue boats and there is quite a bit of wood.
Here's a link to a write up I did https://www.whitewaterguidebook.com/washington/upper-upper-wind-river/.
We put in above Falls creek but below the braided channels in the alder forest and took out at the first bridge you come across.
Pretty cool run. Reminded me of a class 3 version of the farmlands section of the white salmon. Similar canyon with a few fun boof ledges along the way and a nice general rhythm to the rapids.
There's one boulder sieve rapid that is an easy enough portage river right with a decent eddy but has a line along the left wall (its worth a scout though to see where you don't want to end up) and one old growth tree across the river a little down river from there that needs to be portaged (also has a nice eddy and easy enough portage), otherwise all other wood is dodgable hanging off of one wall or the other.
Would definitely do this run again. Made for a nice adventure and hope to check it out again with more water though this flow was plenty of water for checking it out.
Could probably go lower and would definitely be fun with more water but I'm not sure at which point those eddys might wash out and I could see it getting choked if the wrong trees made it into the canyon.
Super fun, very narrow basalt gorge, more like a creek-feel. Be aware of wood and the 'kingpin' boulder sieve 1.5 miles in. look for the big boulder horizon line.