Washougal

We use this gauge: https://www.nwrfc.noaa.gov/river/station/flowplot/flowplot.cgi?WASW1 and yesterday's level was 6 feet, which is what Dee Brodigan told me was her personal minimum for the section.  I agree with Dee.  The gauge parameters on here say it is 'runnable' a good bit lower but I wouldn't go there, we have better options.

That said, at 6 feet Big Eddy was starting to look manky and had a tree blocking the main flow right below the biggest drop.  We put in immediately below that.  We enjoyed the eddy hopping and surfing in the section immediately below, and Cougar rapid was also fun to work at 6 feet. (I've run this section more commonly at 7 and 8 feet.  At 8 feet Big Eddy is a BIG rapid and the water is high throughout.)

We ran all the way down to Hathaway just to see that bottom section and it is indeed dull.  Still, from milepost 3 to Hathaway (a Washougal City Park) would be a decent first-timer float with adequate support.  If the water was up you could still swim and lose a boat here.  =-D