Snoqualmie, Middle Fork

Paddled 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.