Cooper River
Waterfall to Cle Elum River
| Difficulty | IV-V |
| Length | 1.7 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 107 fpm |
| Reach Info Last Updated | March 3, 2023 |
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
^^Can be run at higher or lower flows. This value is daily calculated flow for the Cle Elum and flow on the Cooper will be lower.^^
SEASON: Can be too high at the peak of snow melt so check it out as an option during late snowmelt (or early if not snowed in). July is often good after the Cle Elum gets too low. In years of high snowpack the Cooper can be paddled through the summer.
FUN FACT: Summer creeking
DESCRIPTION:
As the spring boating season comes to a close the Cooper offers some great whitewater, warm east-side temperatures, crystal-clear water, and impressive scenery. Logs are always a possibility on this run so get a recent report or proceed with caution on your first run.
Make sure you put-in below the big falls ( photo) and be prepared for immediate action. The river starts with a technical lead-in rapid before you reach the first slide which drops you into this beautiful river gorge (you can easily scout this before you put on). Another fun pour- over follows before you quickly reach the lead-in to Norm's Resort.
Norm's Resort consists of a pourover at the starts which is quickly followed by a second ledge that feeds into a good-sized hole on river left ( photo). The move is to hit this last ledge on the right to avoid the meat of the hole ( video). You can scout and set safety along river right and there's a good recovery pool at the bottom.
As you continue downstream horizon lines come in quick succession, while still allowing plenty of time for recovery between drops, and the river continues with a number of great pool-drop rapids. As long as you're paddling at medium flows they can be easily scouted and good portage options exist for most (
...River Features
Cooper Road Put In
Salmon La Sac Trailhead Take Out
The trailhead on river left (Northwest Forest Pass required) provides easy access to the river. This is also a popular day-use site for swimming later in the summer.
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportThanks to 3 'locals' two of us first timers got the guided tour of the Cooper with precious little need to scout. We did scout the 1st slide drop since you can do that before you get in your boat. And we scouted the S-turn rapid and Wall of Voodoo. Other than that all went well with verbal beta. 'Go right' was the refrain at most blind horizons, with few exceptions. Sure is nice having local guidance. Thanks guys.
What a pretty creek! Waterfall at the put-in. Grey towers of rock. Dark green mixed conifer forest. Sparkling clear water. A few logs in the water but nothing scary. It reminds me of how Oregon's gem Opal Creek used to be, before the forest burned. Protect this place! As best we can.
The inflow to the Cle Elum Lake was rising the day we were out there, from ~800cfs to ~1200cfs. Twas a sunny day and it must have been due to snowmelt. The flow was described to me as 'the high end of low' which seems about right. The holes were barely there and the bony spots weren't stupid yet. It was a fine flow for this first timer.
My opportunity to run this coincided with the annual Salmon la Sac Slalom. Having the skills to hit the gates on class 2 in a slalom race is a large part of what you need to successfully run the Cooper. The other part has to do with boofing edges to stay out of holes.
We ran a lap on the cooper the weekend of 7/8/2022. THere is a lot of wood in there this year. The first drop has 3 logs in play and there is significant amounts of wood on the shores in nearly every drop. Sharks fin requires a wood portage. Many folks use this run as a 'step-up' class 4 run, which I don't think is appropriate this year. If you flip you may get pushed into the wood on the banks. It is still definitey runable and fun for those comfortable at the grade and/or who know it. If you scout the first rapid and don't feel extremely confident I wouldn't put on! Heads up out there!
A fun day on the Cooper at a good with friends: Thomas O'Keefe, Omar Jepperson, Emma Johnson, and Boris Startsev. These are photos of all the major drops.
What a great way to spend an afternoon. This was day number 2 of 5 in the Pacific Northwest
This was another great rapid. While scouting this I stood on a nest of red ants that proceeded to climb into my booties. There's nothing like being bitten by insects while running challenging whitewater.
Fun times on the Cooper River in July. Resevoir inflow was 755 cfs.
Celebrating Web's Bachelor Party with some kayaking on the Cooper. It was at a nice level but a touch low. Cle Elum Reservoir inflow was 832 cfs.
Put-in for the Cooper at a pull-out at FR 46 mile 3.2 (just beyond spur road 117). We drove up to check it out but opted for a run on the Cle Elum. Reservoir inflow was 1095 cfs and those who ran it reported good flows and a good run.
Our 1st class IV run.. Had a great time
Plowing down into Norm's Resort. For years there has been a log blocking the exit of this drop requiring boaters to portage around. I was one of the people who moved this log and took one of the first runs down the Cooper with no portages in years. I love this river!