LOW WATER - WENATCHEE RIVER UPDATE

From late July and into August, Wildwater River Guides shifts our main operation from the Wenatchee River to the White Salmon, which is several hours south of our main base in Peshastin. Although weekend bookings are closed on the Wenatchee from this point on, we do continue to run weekday trips on our home stretch. At this point in the season most of the snow that feeds the Wenatchee has already melted and floated our boats downstream, only to return again as winter precipitation. But the riverbed is not dry. The late-summer water, low as it may be, will still float a raft full of people down to Cashmere. The nature of these trips is different than those we run in May and June, but they do have a unique appeal that simply cannot be compared with early season high water.

The Wenatchee River is at the perfect level for family friendly trips.

The White Salmon River holds the BEST whitewater in the State for the month of August.

First and foremost, the air and the water are actually warm. No more wetsuits and blasts of cold water to the face– come late July it’s “sun’s out guns out” and there is no better time than to show off those biceps or work on your PFD tan than on a casual Wenatchee float.

In the spring season large waves can easily flip a boat or knock you out, but as the water comes down throughout the Summer, swimming becomes more a matter of your own volition than that of the river. In the slower, deeper stretches of the river you can jump into the water and cool off, and just about anywhere save the rapids you can incite playful (or competitive) splash wars between boats. As a guide, I like to take the opportunity to practice flip drills in the late summer. If my guests want to get wet I’ll have everybody get to one side of the raft to help me flip it upside down, then hoist myself and whoever else back onto it in order to flip it back over, and finally pull everybody/everything back into the boat before continuing downstream.

BIG hits in the Spring and early Summer on the Wenatchee River.

Say "good-bye" to the wetsuits until next season - the weather is HOT here and the water feels great.

Another perk of late-season floats is that there are generally far fewer boats on the water, which creates a more natural, remote-feeling atmosphere for you and your friends or family. Sometimes you’ll see a few fellow rafters or spot some quiet fisherman on the bank, and at other times you may come around a bend to find that you have an entire section of the river to yourself.

Most of the rapids on the Wenatchee mellow out when the water drops, but they don’t disappear completely. Drunkards Drop loses the huge raft-rocking waves that usually characterize it, but you still get to feel the several foot “drop” that creates the rapid in the first place. Snowblind, which is usually a disorienting series of white-capping waves at higher water, becomes a beautiful maze of exposed bedrock. In some sections of the rapid it feels like you gloss right over the top of the riverbed, which is perfectly visible through the shallow water. When the water gets lower yet, you have to carefully maneuver the boat through tiny pathways left between the large protruding rocks, making the rapid feel almost like a puzzle. And Granny’s, the last rapid on the Wenatchee, always remains big and splashy regardless of the river’s level. After a relatively leisurely float, it’s fun to end the trip with a full-on class III wave train that will spark your nerves just before takeout.

You will still experience fun rapids on the river. 

“I would say low water Wenatchee is the best opportunity for families to come out and have fun with their kids on a river, enjoy the sunshine and the heat, the excitement of the waves and the splashes, without parents having to worry so much about risk,” Wildwater guide Jaime Jasinski says.


And if late-season Wenatchee doesn't seem to be your cup of tea you can always try one of our other trips available in August. Test your balance on one of our class-II SUP trips, head up to the scenic Skagit river nestled in the North Cascades, or head on down to the White Salmon and huck yourself over Husum Falls.

Stand up paddleboard on the lower Wenatchee River. 

Enjoy a family friendly scenic trip on the Skagit River in the North Cascades National Park.

Optional Class V Husum Falls on the White Salmon River is a great way to get your adrenaline pumping. 

Written by: Nicholas Farley