Tieton

Busy raft traffic, a highway paralleling the river, and the flush of a dam release with few eddies make this a run many might pass up. As one of the few places with dependable whitewater in the waning days of summer, however, boaters from across the state converge on this popular late summer run. The river comes to life with the annual flip-flop typically occurring on our around the weekend after Labor Day. At that time, flows from the upper Yakima reservoirs are reduced for the benefit of spawning salmon and flows on the Tieton are increased to serve irrigation interests downstream providing good boating through much of September. The Tieton is also often boatable from mid-May into mid-July when the dam fills up and spills inflow. The canyon is beautiful and the water comes at a time of year when decent whitewater can be hard to find making it the last summer run for many.

Most of the run is continuous class II and III rapids. This is not, however, a great beginner run. Lots of brush along the banks and the continuous nature of the run present a real challenge for those with less than solid boating skills. Rescues can be difficult so be sure to go with a strong crew. The first half of the run is characterized by fast water through shallow boulder gardens. The pace begins to change slightly with the approach of a low-head dam about halfway through the run. The dam is well marked by signs on river left at 1000' feet that can be seen from the road (most easily when driving in the downstream direction) near mile marker 172. A couple smaller side channels appear here, but the best option is to continue with the channel containing most of the flow as it heads towards river right. Those with solid boating skills should have no problem pulling out on river left once the dam is in sight. The dam can be run, but there are a couple of spots that wouldn't be much fun so if you have any doubts take the conservative route along the portage trail on river left. This is a

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