Chiwawa

1 - Buck Cr to Trinity Horse Camp

Difficulty	IV
Length	3.3 mi
Avg Gradient	n/a
Gauge	Chiwawa River Near Plain, Wa
Flow Rate as of 52 minutes	135 cfsbelow recommended
Reach Info Last Updated	February 27, 2026

River Description

If you're up for a 3-mile hike along the Buck Creek trail, the Chiwawa River offers a stunning 2.5-mile stretch of fast, continuous Class 3+ to 4 rapids through a gorge. It's akin to Ingalls and upper Peshastin but more remote and demanding. You can hike to the trail bridge or bushwhack through the old burn zone below Buck Creek confluence. Eddies are small, choked with brush, and not always conveniently located. Quick reactions are essential to navigate around or portage some tricky wood obstacles, and blind corners can be challenging. Portages can be difficult due to dense vegetation, and expect several tree portages, especially after the valley opens near Trinity—stay vigilant. A Chiwawa gauge reading of 1000-1100 cfs is suitable for first-time paddlers unfamiliar with the wood conditions. The easiest takeout is at the horse camp half a mile below the trailhead.

River Features

Buck Creek Trail - Chiwawa River Trail Bridge

OtherDistance: 0 mi

Trail bridge across the Chiwawa River on the Buck Creek Trail (#1513). This is a potential starting point for the run.

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Chiwawa River Trail Trailhead

Access PointDistance: 2.89 mi

The end of the drive in and start of the hike on the Chiwawa River Trail (#1550) and then Buck Creek Trail (#1513).

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Phelps Creek Horse Camp Take-Out

Access PointDistance: 3.28 mi

Take out on river left at the horse camp.

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Trip Reports

Packraft adventure - Bill Herring

Jul 12, 2025

Hiked up the trail and carried packrafts down thru the burn area just below Buck Cr confluence. Sketchy fun with no prior wood report at 1000 cfs on the main Chiwawa gauge. Constant rapids with a couple of near river wide trees in first half mile and brush-filled eddies. About a mile down encountered a river-wide tree that could be jumped right leading to the biggest ledge on the run. A powerful slide just below surfed us a bit. Eases to easy class 3 then, but stay heads up. A terrific series of class 4 drops in a right bend against cliffs appear near the end of the high gradient! When the valley opens up, the gradient backs off, but water is still very fast, and we found a few trees to portage with little room to stop above them. A memorial plaque on the right in this section is just above a bad tree not far above the takeout. Good run for class 4 boaters looking for something off the beaten path and willing to hike, just be very heads up for trees!