Elk River

7.2 feet on the gage proved to have a high water feel in the gorges, which became solid class IV including boils, whirlpools and walled-in forever eddys. It had a feel like the canyon could hold the water level, it didn't feel 'flooded' nor was there wood traveling downstream or many alders in the river. The moving stretches in between rapids developed fun wave trains. I would recommend a lower flow for first time descents due to the scenic quality of the run being reduced by the turbid water. Full sized rafts are a go at flows above 5 ft. We put in just below Sunshine to avoid the brushiness of the upper run. I've included some photos from a similar flow (8ft) in 2012.