Cispus
3 - FR 23 Bridge to FR 28 Bridge (The Upper)
| Difficulty | III+(IV) |
| Length | 10 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 61 fpm |
| Gauge | Cispus River Ab Yellowjacket Creek Near Randle, Wa |
| Flow Rate as of 52 minutes | 723 cfsbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | March 3, 2023 |
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
River Description
LOGISTICS: Starting from the town of Randle (Highway 12 mile 115), take Cispus Road south across the Cowltiz River and continue for one mile to the fork of FR 25 and FR 23. Take the left fork and follow FR 23. At mile 9.1 FR 28 turns off to the right and crosses the river in less than a mile. This is the put-in for the lower and one potential access point, but continuing upstream avoids the braided channels near the FR 28 bridge. A good pullout can be found by continuning on FR 23 to mile 12.7, past the North Fork Cispus. There is a good access point here before the road heads up the hill and out of site of the river (if you take-out here you'll have about a 7 mile run). To reach the put-in, continue on FR 23 to mile 19.5 and the bridge across the river. Access can be found on downstream river left.
DESCRIPTION: With nearly 30 mile of continuous intermediate whitewater, the Cispus provides one of the longest continuous whitewater trips in the state. By combining this section with the Lower Cispus you'll find opportunities for overnight excursions through the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.
Starting from the FR 23 bridge the river hits some good class II and III boulder garden rapids. About 2 miles into the trip the pace begins to pick up as the river enters a constrained bedrock section. There is one drop in particular here (class IV) that forms some good-sized holes and may be worth a scout on river right. This section continues for nearly 2 miles to the confluence with Blue Lake Creek. After this the gradient tapers off slightly and there are more class II gravel bar rapids with some bedrock shelves here and there. With 1200 cfs you should be able to get through these fine, but as flows drop below 1000 cfs they would get a bit grungy. Log hazards are also especially prevelant in this area.
You're best off taking out near the North Fork Cispus as the river be
...River Features
Put In
Take Out
Trip Reports
Log in to add a report5/18/2024 Médium flow at 1860 cfs. Only encountered wood once above the North Fork confluence as getting towards the end of the run. When you see two big cedar stumps sticking straight up in the river you need to avoid the main channel the goes right just below the stumps as two river wide trees present. You can either portage on the island or sneak down the small left chute if there is enough water to get down. Take out shortly afterwards on the right bank where the road parallels the river with a rocky embankment and good parking spot just above North Fork Camp ground. If you carry on down to the 28 bridge two more wood portages, a lot of incidental wood and braided channels makes the upper take out more appealing.
As of 4/15/07 there were a few wood issues on this run. We portaged one tree across the river in the first mile, which was easily spotted and easy to portage. The 2nd log was another riverwide tree and it poses more of a hazard. It is (very approximately) about 2 miles into the run, the river takes a sharp right turn into a rocky class 3 rapid and there is a tree across the river at the end of the rapid.
The 3rd wood hazard was about 2 or 3 rapids downstream from White Lightning. There is a stout rapid here where the canyon walls close in and the river goes over a couple steep ledges. There is a log balanced across the boulders at the top of the first big ledge that goes about 3/4 of the way across. You may be able to duck under or go around, but we carried around to be on the safe side.