Historical Rafting trip on the Toutle River May 17th & May 18th

Transitioning from Wildwater River Tours to Wildwater River Guides we had a few decisions to make regarding what rivers we would still be offering. WRT used to offer rafting trips on the Toutle River due to its close proximity with the previous Office location. In the Fall of 2012 the Wildwater Office was moved to the east side of the Cascades near Leavenworth, and now is close to a four hour drive one way to the Toutle River. We didn't want to get rid of the rafting trip entirely, so we decided to create an ability to still offer a rafting adventure on the gorgeous secluded river, while adding historical significance to the trip. 

Mount St. Helens captured from Spirit Lake before the 1980 eruption. 
Photo Credit: US Forest Service

This year we are proud to announce Wildwater’s plan to host an annual historical whitewater rafting weekend on the beautiful Toutle River just in time for the anniversary of the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption. The historical river adventure will take place on the weekend of May 17th and 18th. Wildwater River Guides will be hosting one trip a day for the weekend. Trips will start at 10:00 am and you can expect to be on the river for around four hours.

Join the Wildwater River Guides experience! 
Photo credit: Riverbooty Photography

The Toutle River, a class III-IV stretch has more than just exhilarating rapids to offer. The bedrock walls of the canyon contain years of ever changing historical value providing a once in a lifetime opportunity to participate in rafting this gorgeous and famous whitewater stretch.

Hollywood Gorge, Toutle River. Photo credit: American Whitewater

Wildwater is the only company that offers whitewater rafting trips on the Toutle River, so make sure to sign up early and join us on what is truly a trip of a lifetime. You will experience beautiful scenery, house sized boulders and moss covered rocks on this secluded river adventure. With the challenging rapids the Toutle River provides we have set an age requirement of 14 years or older to raft and require all of our guests to be physically fit.

For more information about the historical whitewater rafting adventure visit our website and the Toutle River rafting page.  You can also read a great article here, written by Matt Pentz with the Daily News on the Toutle River: Once left dead, Toutle River reborn in tranquility.  

A beautiful photo captured by Backpacker Magazine of the Spring flowers in the shadow of Mount St. Helens.

The residents living in Washington in 1980 at the time of the eruption were able to see first hand the effects of what is known as the largest terrestrial landslide in recorded history, which reduced the summit of Mount St. Helens by 1,300 feet. The eruption sent volcanic ash and debris to a height of 60,000 feet. It only took three minutes for the blast to travel 230 square miles of forest at a rate of 300 miles per hour taking the lives of fifty-seven people and destroying hundreds of miles of forest land, animal habitats, and people's homes. Small plants and trees hidden beneath the Winter snow on Mount St. Helens were the only thing to survive the 1980 eruption and still thrive to this day.

Just hours after the 1980 eruption. Photo credit: Robert Krimmel, USGS

With help from biologists the Wild Salmon and Steelhead populations have been reintroduced to the rivers and streams surrounding Mount St. Helens.

In 1982 Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument was established for everyone to observe the destruction that once was, and now the remarkable recovery of the plants and animals that call Mount St. Helens home. 

Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument 

Many of you are probably thinking, “Why not just visit the monument and take in the information provided by the National Forest Service?” Participanting with us on this historical river rafting trip you will join the few that get the chance to experience and take in the erosion of Mount St. Helens and the ever changing Toutle River landscape and river bed. Joining us on the river you will become a part of a small number of people in the world that have taken in the beauty of such a magical river in the shadow of a historic volcano. Getting the chance to mix history and geology with whitewater rafting, this trip is certainly a river adventure to go down in the record books. Book your trip today!  

Mount St. Helens captured from Spirit Lake after the 1980 eruption. Photo credit: US Forest Service

Information gathered from the following websites:
U.S. Geological Survey facts page
Live Science website
CNN
Photos gathered from: 

American Whitewater, Live Science, Backpacker Magazine, Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument and US Forest Service.