Miller
East Fork to NE Old Cascade Highway
| Difficulty | IV |
| Length | 4.7 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 83 fpm |
| Gauge | South Fork Skykomish River at Skykomish, Wa |
| Flow Rate as of 23 minutes | 2840 cfsbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | December 17, 2025 |
River Description
The Miller River is less popular with paddlers seeking cutting-edge steep creeks, but it offers a fun run for the occasional Class IV creek boater looking for adventure in the Skykomish River watershed. That said, the river still demands respect, with plenty of log and pin hazards. Flows are typically highest during fall rains and spring snowmelt, but access can be snowed in during the coldest winter months.
The river begins with fun Class IV boulder garden rapids. Most have clear lines that are easy to read from the boat. The best whitewater lasts no more than two miles, after which the pace calms considerably through lower-gradient boulder gardens and gravel bars. This lower stretch is fine when water levels are adequate, but low water can make navigation tricky.
Logistics: The Miller River is a short run with roadside access. The classic run starts on the East Fork Miller and continues past the confluence to the Old Cascade Highway. With the river crossing permanently gone, the lower gradient, minimal whitewater in the lower reaches, and plans to restore the floodplain, it now makes sense to take out further upstream.
To access the river, take Highway 2 to mile 45.9 and turn onto the NE Old Cascade Highway (look for the sign for Money Creek Campground). Follow this road 1.1 miles past the campground, then turn right onto Miller River Road (FR 6410). Driving up Miller River Road, you will see your first good take-out option where the river comes close to the road. For a shorter run, continue up to the Miller River Group Campground, which is a possible take-out near the end of the best rapids.
To reach the put-in, drive over the West Fork bridge (mile 3.5) to a location where the East Fork Miller approaches the road near mile 4.3 at an elevation of 1,290'. Note that the rocky channel you may have passed with little or no water is not the main channel. Be sure to put in higher upstream than the location described in Bennett's guidebook—his
...River Features
Forest Road 6412 Roadside Put-In
At Highway 2 mile 45.9, turn onto the NE Old Cascade Highway (look for the sign for Money Creek Campground). Follow this road 1.1 miles, then turn right onto Miller River Road (FR 6410). Continue past the West Fork bridge at mile 3.5 to a put-in where the river comes close to the road, near mile 4.3, at an elevation of 1,290'. Note that the rocky channel you may have passed with little or no water is not the main river channel.
Miller River Group Campground Access
At Highway 2 mile 45.9, turn onto the NE Old Cascade Highway (look for the sign for Money Creek Campground). Follow this road 1.1 miles, then turn right onto Miller River Road (FR 6410). Continue 2.2 miles on Miller River Road to the Miller River Group Campground. This is a take-out option that comes at the end of the best whitewater.
Miller River Roadside Access
At Highway 2 mile 45.9, turn onto the NE Old Cascade Highway (look for the sign for Money Creek Campground). Follow this road 1.1 miles, then turn right onto Miller River Road (FR 6410). Continue 0.7 mile to a segment of road that runs along the river. This is a potential take-out and also a good place to assess flows. Downstream of this point the gradient tapers off and King County has indentifed the reach from here down to the confluence as a priority site for floodplain restoration.
Old Cascade Highway Take-Out
At Highway 2 mile 45.9, turn onto the NE Old Cascade Highway (look for the sign for Money Creek Campground). Follow this road 1.3 miles to the old river crossing at an elevation of 890'. The historic Miller River Bridge, constructed in the early 1920s, still stands, but the approach washed out during a January 14, 2011 storm, permanently closing this crossing. Ironically, a Bridgestone Super Bowl commercial depicting the bridge washing away aired just a few weeks later. River access is still possible from river left, though King County plans to remove the remaining road prism as part of floodplain restoration.
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportTrip in the Skykomish River drainage that included a stop to assess Miller River access.
At the pullout where the river is first visible heading up the shuttle road (potential takeout), there are three bigger rocks in the streambed you can see to get a feel for level. These reference photos are for very low end of runnable and healthy-medium (or perhaps pretty high depending on your perspective). How much water you have at the put-in will vary depending on where the water is coming from, as the west fork and a river-right feeder can both add a lot or none at all. Have found the correlation with Skykomish gauge (AW virtual) to be very hit or miss, so pays to know what you're looking at when you get to the river.
Updated 2020: Put in 1/4 mile up from the Westfork Miller bridge. Park at small pullout. Hike thru woods 7-8 minutes. Take out at the National Forest Group Campground. Run is 2 miles and takes roughly 20-30 minutes depending on flows and pace. Concerning flows. This run gets quite grungy (scrapey) at lower flows, esp. in the last 1/2 mile. Look for a minimum of 8k on Sky gauge and higher if it's rain. The run holds water well, and can be run quite high, but it's good to know the lines. 12-13k on Sky gauge is a pushy medium flow. It's easy to miss the takeout if you don't know where it is.
450 cfs, 6/10/17
Miller River take-out at the site of the washed out bridge.
We had a crew of eight, which was a little large for this run, but we made it work. We crossed the bridge over the West Fork of the Miller and continued upstream about a mile to a spot where the river ran relatively close to the road, above the suggested put-in in the Bennett book. It was quite bony for a while, with a class II–III bump-and-grind feel, but the river began to pick up as we approached the confluence with the West Fork. Flows were still a little low, but there was enough water to boat, and we wouldn’t have wanted it much lower (the Skykomish at Goldbar was at approximately 5500 cfs).
One of the bigger drops on the run sits just above the confluence and was the site of one of our swims when Dave Pearton became hung up on a log. This was the second log encounter of the day, as Willie had earlier taken a log pin that also resulted in a swim. The more difficult section of the run was fairly continuous, with eddies scattered here and there. Once the river flattens out and cabins start to appear, the run is mostly over, aside from a few short drops similar in character to the upper section.
This was an early winter day on the Miller, enjoyed with a group that had never paddled it before. We were glad we put in upstream of the West Fork confluence, as it allowed us to enjoy a longer stretch of good whitewater on the East Fork. We continued downstream to the Old Cascade Highway, with the gradient tapering off as we approached, and took out at the bridge as snow began to fall.