Snoqualmie, Middle Fork
5 - Tanner to North Bend(The Club Stretch)
| Difficulty | II |
| Length | 6.2 mi |
| Avg Gradient | n/a |
| Gauge | Middle Fork Snoqualmie River Near Tanner, Wa |
| Flow Rate as of 54 minutes | 731 cfsbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | June 8, 2022 |
River Description
SEASON: Winter rains through spring snow melt (typically October to July).
FUN FACT: Popular beginner training stretch used extensively by whitewater classes.
DESCRIPTION:
The Club Stretch is an easy class II run with a couple of class II+ rapids. It can be comfortably run as low as 800cfs in kayaks, and can run well into July. The scenery in this section varies between houses and forests. Don't be timid with any of the wavetrains. There are always recovery pools below.
Most of the best whitewater action is in the first mile and there are four good class II gravel bar rapids between the put-in and the Mt. Si Road bridge. This first section is a popular training run often used for instructional programs. Continuing downstream the next signifcant rapid is at Blue Hole which is a headwall drop that has good strong eddylines to practice on.
Many take out at the Blue Hole access. After that, the whitewater tapers off, but the scenery becomes more forested. Those who are out for a day of cruising on the river continue downstream.
A lot of the run is along the base of Mt. Si, and there are several nice views of the mountain, especially near the end. If you continue past the 428th St. Bridge, the river enters King County's Three Forks Natural Area and a paddling trip offers one of the best ways to see this river landscape which includes the confluence with the North Fork and then the South Fork. Be aware of wood hazards. The best public beach access serving as a take-out for this section is just upstream of the Snoqualmie Valley Trail crossing at Meadowbrook Bridge. Between this point and Snoqualmie Falls, the river flows through mostly private land with lots of rip rap making access difficult.
with contributions by David Elliott
LOGISTICS:
Tanner Put-in: To get to the put-in take exit 32 off I-90 and go north for 0.6 miles. At the T junction turn right on
...River Features
Tanner Road Put In
Put-in along Tanner Road. Located at USGS River Mile 49.4. A new housing development threatened the future of this access point with the original plans considering homes fronting Tanner Road. American Whitewater and local volunteers from Washington Kayak Club worked with the city during the permitting process for the development to require formal parking along Tanner Road. The result of these efforts is the designated parking spots adjacent to the put-in which is along an old county bridge right-of-way.
Blue Hole
The Blue Hole Rapid and pool is a highlight of this run. In the past it was also a popular local swimming hole and paddlers have used it as as an access point. Unfortunately use grew to a point that was no longer tolerable to local property owners. King County owns a parcel at the Blue Hole (the pool at the bottom of the rapid) but the access from 114th Street requires walking along the levee on river left which crosses a small sliver of private parking. Despite signage installed by local property owners, parking and access to the river at the end of 114th Street is legal. You just can't legally walk downstream on the levee. Boaters who wish to take-out here could run the rapid, walk up the midstream island, and ferry across the top of the rapid to the shoreline at the street end of 114th Street.
Three Forks Natural Area Take Out
A popular access point is available on the upstream river right side of the 428th Ave SE Bridge in the Three Forks Natural Area. This was once a historic bridge crossing and there is some parking along the road alignment for the old bridge and a trail down to the river.
Meadowbrook Bridge, Snoqualmie Valley Trail Access
Access is available on river right along SE Reinig Road where the Snoqualmie Valley Trail crosses the river at the Meadowbrook Bridge, an old railroad bridge now servering as a trail crossing. Downstream of this point the river is more channelized and access is challenging as the river continues on its approach to Snoqualmie Falls.
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportPaddled an Alpacka Gnarwhal from the put in along Tanner Rd to a takeout at Sandy Cove Park (next to Snoqualmie Falls Brewery). My recorded distance was just shy of 8 miles over 2:15. Though I'd estimate my speed from the put in to the confluence with the North Fork was ~4.5mph, and from there to the takeout was only 2mph.
There are at least two places where the river is divided by islands, I went right both times and I probably should have gone left. The first is above Blue Hole, and the second is above the confluence with the N Fk. That said, going right worked just fine so maybe it's a toss-up.
There's a small amount of wood hazard and one mandatory portage (see coordinates below) but all was easily avoidable.
The flow was ~820cfs at the Tanner gauge and I don't think I'd want to paddle it much lower. touched bottom on a few cobble bars but not bad.
Left above blue hole - 47.49698, -121.76366
Wood on right around here - 47.50552, -121.76182
Left before N Fk confluence - 47.51778, -121.77399
Tree spanning river, easy portage - 47.52378, -121.78428
I'd love to run this a few more times before the flows taper off - dm me on strava if you're interested
Great run, even at lower flows (was ~850 CFS when we went, lower limit is 800). The most challenging rapid is at the beginning, you basically launch into a boulder garden with a somewhat tricky drop. Other than that, the only larger rapid was the Blue Hole (not sure why it's called that, as this isn't a hole). There were a few strainers to contend with, but not an excessive amount. This would be a good run to teach newer paddlers, provided they had support from someone more experienced.
Beautiful fast float at high water. We went in 3 Costco inflatable rafts and were quite comfortable. Nothing scary, no portage, easy trees to avoid. Highly recommended.
Ran this in a packraft as a group on 6/23/22. River was mostly clear of obstacles except one tree near the end of the run. The river forked in the area and both forks had trees obstructing it. Was very easy to portage at 2150 CFS though. Overall a great beginner run with excellent views of Mt. Si and some fun wave trains.
Ran from Tanner to 428th bridge in a tandem duckie. Fun stretch with beautiful scenery. Took ~1hr at 1800 cfm. Plenty of parking at Tanner and we were the only car on the road that accessed the takeout (river right just before the bridge). River was mostly clear of obstacles, though one right-angle bend near the end had a log in the middle that we caromed off.
Two families with kids. We ran from Tanner down to Snoqualmie and took out at the trail bridge crossing for an easy bike shuttle back to Tanner. Some wood in play but all clean through Three Forks Natural Area that provided great views of Mt. Si.
As of 4/18/2012, this run is clean all the way to the Blueberry Farm takeout (428th Ave). The rapid below the Blue Hole area is clean and open, as is the rapid below that.
Access Site Tour.
Looking upstream from the takeout.
Access the former Norman Bridge that serves as a take-out for this reach.