Box Canyon Creek
to Kachess Reservoir
| Difficulty | III-IV+(V) |
| Length | 1.7 mi |
| Avg Gradient | n/a |
| Reach Info Last Updated | April 24, 2019 |
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 Mountains to Sound Greenway stretches more than 100 miles along Interstate 90 from the shores of Puget Sound in Seattle, across Snoqualmie Pass, and into Central Washington. Encompassing over 700,000 acres of public land managed by local, state, and federal agencies, the Greenway protects an extraordinary landscape that [...]Read More
River Description
LOGISTICS: East of Snoqualmie Pass drive past Keechelus Reservoir (the one right along I-90), take the first exit, and head north on Kachess Lake Road. Take this to Kachess Campground on the reservoir which is the take-out. FR 4930 runs along the creek. Follow this road up to a put-in where you can first see the creek from the road (the box canyon prevents access downstream of this point). Check out current conditions on the Wenatchee National Forest site.
DESCRIPTION:
This Run would be good if you wanted to add it to another river in the area on the same day such as the [Cle Elum](http://
www.americanwhitewater.org/content/River/view/river-detail/2093/), Cooper, SF Snoqualmie, or if you just want to do something different. One potential put-in is at the first falls named Off-Ramp which is a sliding then vertical 30 foot waterfall. There is one other good place to put-in above. Off-Ramp at a class V double ledge drop with a sticky hole. Right below the 30 footer is busy class III-IV that soon peters out. One of the drops is Gutter Ball, for obvious reasons, which is a very fun but narrow undercut slot. Next comes a little flat water before it canyon ups. There are some nice rapids and some steep drops in there. Also once you are in the Box Canyon don't plan on hiking out. Everything was either portageable and or scoutable. The canyon is mostly III-IV with one IV+ and one V. It then flattens out to the lake. While not a classic, it's a short but sweet run. Be cautious of wood hazards which are an issue on this run.
Description contributed by Scott Martin
River Features
Put In
Take Out
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportThere is a blind turn in the gorge below Gutter Ball. It is not easily scoutable from river level. As of 5/16/2010, the left slot in the blind turn was runnable.
This is the runout below Gutter Ball and above the blind turn
In spite of what it may looks like, the log is completely out of play.
This shot was from high on the river-right wall, downstream of the blind turn. The log overhanging the left-channel is about 5' above the water level.