Wenatchee

A site visit to Dryden Dam and Cashmere to view site conditions following December 2025 floods that peaked at 38,000 cfs.

About 3/4 miles after the Auto Return Rapid (or the US 2 bridge by Dryden) on the left channel around an island a large rock that used to be known as the 'Troll's nose' is now in the water.  It has fresh breaks with sharp edges.  Move river right as you travel the light rapids that the island channel creates to avoid.  Easy to avoid if you set up early at 3300 cfs.

Ran Roadside to Cashmere enjoying these higher flows late into the summer season--what a year. The Jacuzzi Wave was in at Drunkards and we also enjoyed time at Turkey Shoot with a fun shot at Granny's before the take out.

A beautiful mid-summer day doing the long trip from Leavenworth to Cashmere.

I took a raft of kids down the Wenatchee and we had a few kayaks along.

A favorite for paddle boarders. ~6,000 CFS and Falling

I took the kids down in the raft and a few kayaker friends joined us.

A low water trip from Peshastin down to Cashmere but still plenty of fun.

I think there should be a bit more beta on this page on Boulder Bend, so here goes. The rapid starts with a set of wave trains on a long straightaway that passes under highway 2, which leads into an enormous wave/hole that marks the beginning of Boulder Bend proper. A lot of paddlers call this wave 'Aguirri' (meaning the wrath of god) since its so powerful. It doesn't look that big as your approaching, but trust me, Aguirri can flip rafts easily, especially above 10,000 cfs. Aguirri is visible from the highway two bridge on the way to the put in if its your first time. Immediately after Aguirri, the main current splits around a shallower section in the middle. Go left of Aguirri for the bigger water (class III+-IV), or stay right of it and dodge the boulders, working your way back into the middle (class III-III+). What makes this rapid hazardous is the potential for long swims. Boulder Bend is about a half mile long from start to finish, and swimming the whole thing can be exhausting. Boulder bend also has the highest potential for wood (a log killed somebody 2 years ago), especially on the left side. Entrapment could pose a threat at lower levels.

Here's a video of the left line of Drunkard's Drop with the new boulder. http://youtu.be/ZLJMf6s5ZMo

Ran 6-18-11. 9.5 grand = great clean fun, I've never ran a river so full of nice haystacks & fluffy holes while not being surrounded by such a minimal amount of clear & present danger (Obviously LOG JAMS & strainers can creep up on you while running this FAST FLOWING river)... pour-overs & big rocks sticking out = rare; & to me it's like paddling thru heaven, but everybdy from around here says the scenery on th Wenatchee pales in comparison to other local rivers. ..... .-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------..... ....... ......... *** The bridge pillars are no joke, *** will pin raft *** run in between them & just stay clean around / through the pillars, there is some deceptive spots around them, but nothing u should regret missing. *** ..................... -‎you want to MISS 'SATAN'S EYEBALL' (upper-middle of 'Rock-n-Roll') by taking the clean-channel river-left (& the clean-line imo is hitting the wave train & hole at the bottom of 'Rock-n-Roll'). *** Satan's Eyball *** looked slightly different my 2nd time through; for some reason it looked like I had more room to dodge it at 9.5k, but it also looked like a bigger & more consistent hole than what I saw at 8.5. ... . .*** It is easy to walk Dryden Dam *** ***........... . I followed somebody and ran the dam. There is a little ledge drop that I ran going around the dam, but just * KNOW WHERE IT IS AT. * I fear describing this without a picture, so do not just go on this statement: If someone convinces you to just paddle around the dam: [ To the best of my recollection ] There is a little tiny wave train that comes in towards this thing that I remember as looking like a chunk of concrete. Use this as a guide. Go to the left of 'the chunk' of concrete or whatever, but do not get too far from the little wave train, you can ride the edge of the wave-train in (river-left side of the little wave train) To the best of my recollection The ledge drop sits at an angle. Don't get sucked too far left. * ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Snowblind is unavoidable & you have to constantly adjust to haystack wave after haystack wave. * Snowblind * is a madhouse of haystack & squirly haystack waves Everywhere... & its a little bigger than what it looks like on th aw pics. Don't let somebody flush-drown on this rapid. ... At lower levels my guess is that it can be rather rocky down there, & slam! With the rock there I'd just go right at Drunkards. My common sense told me to hit a hole or two in Grannies. Granny's will require you to read & run & choose which hit to take. Takeout is soon after, so think about that. ... Have fun!

Michelle. 5-31-11. Somewhere around 10-12 grand

... Ran for 1st time: 6/4/11 At 8.5k CFS : Vessel: 10ft. self bailing raft / ('mini-me') * Put In: 'Fishermens' Access', just off road accross from Safeway (Leavenworth) on Safeway-side of bridge. River Right. * * Take Out: Cashmere, park. Where everybdy takes out. Just past Granny's. River Right. Right bank marked with River Shrubery / take-out has concrete ramp. * ............................................................................. * The Leavenworth to Monitor section of the Wenatchee, from the dam to the takeout, is a fairly wide river. Big holes can generally be avoided. I do not consider it to be a very 'technical' river, & American Whitewater says it can be ran between 2,500 & 20,000 cfs. . . . Just because the Wenatchee is not considered to be 'very technical', it does not mean there are not challenges or risk involved: * * * * * * *** The Wenatchee is a VERY FAST flowing river * * * * * *** Stay away from Bridge Pillars / trestles. The current pulls you to them with more force as you get closer. *** * The first big rapid is called 'Rock N Roll' : This seems to be the last rapid with 'creeky' feeling to it, as waters from Tumwater (seen from Rt. 2) will soon dam out into a playful section of the Wenatchee. (walk around the dam) .... At the top (during the first part) of 'Rock N Roll' ... [& The River feels very constricted here to somebody seeing it for the first time] ... In the center of the river there is a hole called 'Satan's Eyeball' ... This particular hole & the bridge pillars / trestles are what worried me at 8.5 grand. ... ... At the bottom (or during the 2nd part) of the rapid big there is almost a River Wide plethora of haystacks & breaking haystacks ... awesome to hit, might not be fun to swim. ... ... There is a sneak line just to the left of 'Satan's Eyeball.' Using this line you feel like you can reach out and touch 'the eyeball' as you go by. ... I could be wrong, but from the little I've seen 'Satan's Eyeball' looks like a hole with a big, flat, slanted rock wedged in an upward like direction, giving the appearance of a big fluffy hole, When in reality It may be pretty munchy. Just after the eyeball (or right at the eyeball), and it might be my imagination, there seems to be a small break in the action of the rapid as the river seems to take a relatively steep drop in gradient. It seemed like th safe route through the 2nd part of 'Rock-n-Roll' was center, comming in kinda on ' the tail of the 'eyeball' ' : I took that line & still got in there somewhere & hit a nice haystack wave for a 10 ft. raft. ... ... ... Other than that, in regards to everything after the dam, next time at 8.5k I'm going bigger. Haystack waves everywhere! Some cool 'fast moving pools' with some nice scenery behind you too. Look back every once in a while. -Jared

Fun day of play boating on the Wenatchee with flow at 10,100 cfs at 9am and dropping to 9630 cfs by 4pm.

An afternoon trip on the Wenatchee River.

Groups gearing up to launch below the Dryden Dam.

Sam Drevo competing in the TEVA Team Freestyle event. Flows were at a record low level. Over the past 75 year record from the Wenatchee River gauge station, the previous lowest recorded flow for the date was 3950 cfs.

Early summer trip to the Wenatchee River. Flows are dropping but it was still a fun day on the river.

Inspired by stories of the Russian Bublik, members of the University Kayak Club constructed this water craft and took it down the Wenatchee River.

Surf the Earth--it's good for your soul!!

First time on the Wenatchee and a great water level.