"The restoration of a free-flowing river is an exciting event for the whitewater boating community," said Thomas O’Keefe, Pacific Northwest Stewardship Director for American Whitewater. "Paddling the restored reach will be a treasured yet challenging experience for many paddlers. Downstream from the stretch of river near Northwestern Park the river enters the White Salmon Narrows, a dramatic canyon guarded by a rapid with powerful hydraulics that only expert paddlers should attempt to navigate."

 

The changing nature of the riverbed and high potential for wood in this section combine with vertical canyon walls and challenging terrain to create a section of river that is more hazardous than the majority of the rapids easily viewable from the road or Northwestern Park would indicate. The White Salmon Narrows are more consequential than the Middle White Salmon, and paddlers running this section of river should be solid class IV boaters comfortable running unfamiliar sections of river. Any swim could be very hazardous.

 

Lower Gorge, White Salmon River from Sheer Madness Productions on Vimeo.

Paddlers should be aware of the following conditions if they attempt to run the Lower Gorge:

 

1) This river has a large volume of wood, including both naturally recruited wood that continues to move through the system from last year's storm and waterlogged logs that were buried in the reservoir sediments. The White Salmon Narrows is a significant constriction point downstream of the dam site where log-jams have formed in the past and will form in the future. The Narrows is extremely difficult to scout from water level (you can not see all the way downstream). Scouting this section from above is currently not an option, as the shoreline is still restricted while PacifiCorp continues restoration work along the old flowline. 

 

2) The entrance drop to the White Salmon Narrows, Steelhead Falls, forms a significant hydraulic comparable in difficulty to BZ Falls as flows increase. While only a handful of individuals have had an opportunity to scout this drop, initial reports indicate that it is a Class IV ledge at lower water levels on the Husum gage, but increasing to a Class V drop as flows increase. A swim at Steelhead Falls could be very consequential, as the swimmer will either recirculate or end up swimming through the Narrows. A portage is possible on river left, but footing is poor and one must traverse a narrow basalt ledge. As flows increase this portage option appears to become less viable.

 

3) At this time, there are no options to exit the river below Northwestern Park until you reach the Bonneville Pool on the Columbia River. In the future it may be possible to exit the river before reaching Steelhead Falls and reaching the Narrows, but at this time, PacifiCorp is working in the area on restoration efforts that will take another year. If paddlers terminate their runs early in an attempt to exit the river corridor before reaching the Narrows, the likely outcome will be that PacifiCorp will shut down boating until all restoration work is complete (likely another year or more). It's important that paddlers avoid recently planted vegetation and respect the privacy and property of cabin owners in the area. Avoid parking on cabin access roads or traversing through cabin areas, and instead access the river at the public access point at Northwestern Park.

 

American Whitewater wishes to thank PacifiCorp and contractor J.R. Merit for their work and attention on improving safety for boating in the new reach. Following removal of the dam in September, the company spent over a month to address safety hazards in the gorge, including the removal of over 60 waterlogged logs. These logs had been buried in the reservoir and subsequently become wedged in the Narrows as a result of the dam breach. While the removal of these logs provides no guarantee regarding the future navigability of the Narrows, and the potential for future wood hazards, PacifiCorp has completed their job to address the impacts of the dam breach.

 

Be safe and have fun!

 

And if you are inspired, consider a special contribution in recognition of today's remarkable acheivement.

 

Upcoming Construction

Sometime in late November or December, Williams Northwest Pipeline will be conducting maintenance activities on its existing 26-inch natural gas pipeline located within the upper reaches of the former Northwestern Lake. These activities will include construction around and over the White Salmon River. The maintenance area is approximately 0.70 river miles downstream from the Castle and 0.24 river miles upstream from the Northwestern Lake Road Bridge and the Northwestern Lake Park where the pipeline crosses the river. In order to ensure the safety of boaters, rafters, anglers and residents in the area, the project will require closing a portion of the White Salmon River at the pipeline crossing described above on certain days from late November through December 2012. More specific closure information is forthcoming.