Cle Elum

The maximum recommended flow of 3000 seems a little arbitrary. A couple of us ran this section at 3800 and the only difference was that it was a little faster.

In the summer of 2003, the only real problem on this run is a log jam about a mile below the put-in. The river makes a sharp left turn, and the entire right half of the channel is filled with trees, while the left half is too shallow to run. The easiest run is to make a sharp left, beach on the gravel bar, and drag/crawl 10 feet back to the small channel in the left.

At above 3000cfs, this run takes around an hour. It can be extended by running down into the Yakima and down to the confluence with the Teanaway. This stretch parallels I-5 for a few miles, and the scenery includes a few RV parks, but the last 3-4 miles of this stretch are much nicer. The run from the Cle Elum dam to the Teanaway confluence makes a nice day in July or August.