Paradise River: Washington Cascades

BETA

1/3 mi

Stream: The Washington Cascades on the Paradise River are short, but sweet.  Located within Mt Rainier national park, they can be tacked on after an Ohanapecosh trip or if driving through to see the park.  Park at the Ruby Falls Bridge over the Paradise River, and walk 50 yards downstream on river left to scout along a convenient trail.    Safety is easy to set, and the trail on the left allows for laps to be had. 

After the initial set of slides is a double drop before the river turns right, then left again down some small slides that were run center-ish with the main current.  There are a few take out options, so poke around a bit to determine what your plan of action will be.  It is possible to hop out on either side after the double drop or on the left where the bedrock ends and boulders begin to hike back up for another lap, or continue through some class III to a predetermined take out on the right where the road gets close to the creek.  DO make sure you have a pre-determined take out, as going too far would result in an un-survivable trip over Narada Falls.

Transition from bedrock to boulders.

  
Flows:  We thought flows were perfect the day we were there for the first two drops, the rest of the section would have been better with a little more water.  I'd do it again at the same flow or with more water.  The run is at 4700' and is fed from snowmelt, and snow is often present along the banks when there is enough water to float the creek.  When we were there patches of snow needed to be negotiated along the trail, but were not prohibitive to paddling this section.

We paddled this section June 16, 2019

COWLITZ AT PACKWOOD

NISQUALLY AT NATIONAL

Just downstream from Ruby Falls were a couple little pinches.  We used the one shown below as a reference.  It would be nice if the rock with the circle had some water spilling over it.

Access:  This section is located within Mt Rainier National Park, there is an entrance fee of $30 as of 2019.  We did it after a day on the Ohanapecosh River.  From secret camp just head upstream about 3 miles and turn left into the park entrance.  19 miles later you cross a small bridge (46.778404, -121.739020) just before a "T" in the road, park next to this bridge.  The drop under the bridge (Ruby Falls) did not look runnable to me, the slides start about 50 yards below the bridge, there is a trail to scout on river left.  

Ruby Falls the day we ran the Washington Cascades

 You can either hike back out from the bottom along the trail, or find a spot downstream to take out on river right next to the road.  A lack of diligence runs the risk of going too far and not being able to stop above the un-survivable Narada Falls.  

Refer to the map below for orientation.

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Story
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The Ohanapecosh River is a favorite of mine, I try to make a trip up there each year.  It's fun doing laps on the classic section, but I try to mix it up each year and do something new on top of the classic section.  That has typically meant just heading upstream on the Ohanapecosh itself, but this year Priscilla and I spent a day checking out Mt. Rainier National Park.  I had seen photos of a group running the Washington Cascades years ago (I believe it was Luke Spencer, Chuck Taylor and friends) so we decided to see if it had water while we were up there.

It looked like it had just enough water, so we continued wondering around the park and decided to come back Sunday after spending Saturday on the Ohane.  My dad was with us that weekend and had his IK, we thought the foam floor might be nice to pad out the low-volume slides.  When Sunday rolled around we headed back up to the Paradise River and had a nice afternoon sliding down the cascades in the IK.   The run is similar in style and every bit as fun as Sweet Creek, Henline Creek, or the Lake Creek slides.

Ohanapecosh River

Photo: Clinton Begley

The Ohanapecosh is a great run, one of my favorites.  Spending a weekend up there camping and doing as many sunny laps as can be handled on the lower run is something many of us PNW boaters look forward to each year.

That's not all the Ohanapecosh has to offer though, this page described each of the sections that have been paddled on the Ohanapecosh. I have yet to do them all in a single day (or even a single weekend for that matter), but it would be possible and is something I'd like to do at some point.

Because the points along the river are usually encountered heading upstream from Packwood, and the further upstream one goes the less commonly it is run, I have laid them out that way.  i.e. the first description is of the lowest access point, and the last the highest access point.

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Access to NF-1270 take out (if La Wis Wis is closed)
46.6642, -121.6003

From Packwood, travel upstream on Hwy 123 just shy of 5 miles and turn left onto NF-1270.  The river is reached in about half a mile.  *Mark the take out at river level*

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 Cowlitz River (La Wis Wis to NF-1270)

1.25 miles

I only include this section, because when La Wis Wis Campground is closed it is easier to continue through this section than to hike the road out from La Wis Wis.  The water moves along quickly through class II and III rapids, and the scenery is quality.

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Access to La Wis Wis
46.677, -121.5834

From Packwood continue up Hwy 12 for 7 miles and turn left into the campground.  Turn right at the bottom of the hill.  Make another quick left and leave a vehicle by the large, covered wood structure.  There are a number of short trails that lead to the confluence of the Ohanapecosh and Clear Fork from this spot.

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Secret Camp to La Wis Wis Campground

2.85 miles

This is the most commonly run section of the Ohanapecosh, and has the lowest hassle-factor.  The levels are easy to predict, you put in where you camp, it's usually warm and it is commonly run with no portages. It is one of my favorite sections of any river.

Sliding in from Secret Camp, it's already abundantly clear why this is such a special place.  It's worth taking a look at the first rapid from shore before putting on if you haven't been here before.  Next up are a couple ledges that offer up nice deep boofs that can be scouted if that's wanted.  A 1/4 mile of class II proceeds the log slide, which should be scouted on the left upstream of the class II lead in.  You can tell the rapid is coming up because downstream you can see large, room sized boulders on the right bank and a vertical left wall.  It's a pretty straight forward move to get right, but people who are nervous and clam up at the lip sometimes miss the move and fall off to the left.  This used to be a worst case scenario type of situation, but in 2016 the consequences were reduced drastically when some logs moved.  

However, I'd still rather find myself right of the log than left.

Photo: Clinton Begley

When scouting from the left, it can be tough to see around the corner.  It provides peace of mind knowing its a moving pool.  Run the next rapid along the left wall, it's class III.  The next half mile is read and run class IV and loads of fun.  However there are some small, but sinister sieves to watch out for, so if you are not following someone down they can be worth a peak your first trip through.  If in doubt, stay far away from the banks.  I have three first hand accounts of someone flushing under a rock or sieve in their boat on this run, popping up a few wide eyed moments later.

Meanwhile in the middle of the river, fun lines can be had by all.

At the end of the read and run is Butcher's Block, a rapid that used to get portaged regularly but cleaned up in 2016 and is now regularly run.  This drop is signaled not only by a horizon line, but a slight opening of the canyon and large boulders.  At medium to low flows it's easy to scout on the right.   The main hazard is a large boulder on the right that has water flushing under it.  There is a nice boof just to the left of the boulder, the weak kneed can portage with a little effort on the right.  When the water is up, a slightly more involved portage on the left is the best bet.

 Jesse Shapiro lining up the boof in Butcher's Block

Immediately downstream is Triple Drop, which is scouted on the right after Butcher's Block.  There are numerous ways to enter the rapid, make the call for yourself.  At the end of the rapid the flow piles into a rock, so finish with a strong move to the left (or right) in front of the rock/pillow at the bottom.  Below a 2' boof in the runout to Triple Drop a waterfall and vertical wall can be seen downstream on the right.  Most of the current goes center through the rapid here, but that route is not commonly run due to some sieve hazards.  Most people start with some rock bashing down the right, getting to the far right flow against the wall when possible for a fun slide.

The next rapid used to be my least favorite, but now I rather enjoy it after some high water boulder re-arrangement circa 2016-ish.  Enter with the main flow, eddy hop, read and run or shore scout, regardless finish far left.

Read and run rapids continue until Summit Creek is seen entering on the left (largest tributary to this portion of the river).  Boaters bumble through a small entrance rapid, then downstream are confronted by a clean horizon line.  Drive down the right side of the main current, and don't be afraid to launch a big boof off this beautiful 8 foot ledge.

Below this ledge, it's time to start getting ready to eddy out on the left to scout Elbow Room.  If it's your first time I encourage you to error to the left in the lead in to the point of silliness and scrape down to a scouting eddy on the left before the river falls off a ledge back to the right and into Elbow Room.

Elbow Room is typically run down the left side, and through a narrow crack at the bottom that goes better than it looks like it would during the scout.  There is also a stouter entrance on the right, and a super stout (not recommended) line through the bottom right.

A couple paddlers taking the bold right side entrance.

Messing up the right line has severe consequences.

Video from Cascade Classics

If you would like to portage, head upstream along the shelf from the scouting eddy gaining elevation (watch your footing).  When the vegetation is reached a bit of a trail becomes present, head downstream along this trail a couple hundred yards.  Eventually following it back down to the gorge rim.  The throw and go is the best/most fun option here, but if you don't like jumping there is a way to walk down to river level and have everyone else lower gear to you.  Remember to be a team player here.

Just downstream is a nice bedrock rapid, it's class III on the right and has a class IV double ledge on the left. 

Read and run leads to the signature rapid of the run, Ohanapecosh Falls.  The lead in hole is powerful, but a good stroke will typically get you through.  The further right you hit it, the easier it is to make it through.  The outflow of this hole pours over a beautiful 15' falls.  The left channel is what most people aim for, but the middle line is fine too.  The left side line on the falls delivers the best results if you climb up onto the wall high and early, holding that right stroke until you are airborn and resetting your hips on the way down.

Adam Edwards about to get it good.

The next rapid downstream is Petrified, the most notorious on the run aside from Elbow Room.  There are many fun line options here, scout them for yourself from the left.  The center hole has a reputation for being extremely sticky, though something changed in 2017 and it seems more forgiving than it once was.

Ben Mckenzie adding a little steeze to Petrified.

 Photo: Priscilla Macy

There are a number of read and run rapids below Petrified, but keep an eye out for wood. Things ease to riffles by the time you reach the confluence of the Clear Fork Cowlitz and the take out at La Wis Wis Campground.

Trip Report from 2016 @ 1,200 cfs

Trip Report from 2010 @ 2,000 cfs

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Access to Secret Camp

Travelling upstream on Hwy 123 from either of the previous access points or Packwood, you will cross the Clear Fork of the Cowliz via a bridge high over the stream.  Just over a 1/2 mile later turn left onto Hwy 123.  In 2.2 miles NF-44 takes off to the right (stay on Hwy 123), within a couple hundred yards turn left onto an unmarked gravel road that leads to the secret camp.  Kayakers typically use the most upstream campsite.  If you pass under the National Park entrance arch on Hwy 123, you have gone about 100 yards too far.

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Ohanapecosh Campground to Secret Camp 

 1.75 miles

Photo: Shaun Riedinger

Ohanapecosh Campground used to be the typical Ohanapecosh put in, but some time ago a landslide occurred and dumped an inordinate amount of wood into the run.  People could avoid the wood by putting in at Secret Camp.  The wood stayed around long enough, and kayaking culture shifted towards classic-only whitewater enough that Secret Camp was established as "the" put in for the Ohanapecosh.

The wood situation has improved quite a bit over the last couple of years, and the upper portion of the run is starting to get done again.  There are still two large log jams that need to be portaged, along with a couple small logs to be dealt with and one rapid that most will portage.  Aside from that, there are many class IV-V rapids in a section of the Ohanapecosh with a more "serious" feel.   Certainly worthwhile for the adventurous boater.

Whitney Butler on one of the good ones above Secret Camp.

Photo: Alex Neilson

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Access to Ohanapecosh Campground

Travelling upstream on Hwy 123, you cross under a wooden archway.  Just a bit over a mile turn left into Ohanapecosh Campground, stay right at the first juncture and you will reach the bridge shortly.

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Park Entrance to Ohanapecosh Campground

1.7 miles

   In 2013 the Lucas’s, Matt and I decided to add a little variety to our Ohanapecosh weekend and checked out the section starting at the Stevens Canyon road bridge and ending at Ohanapecosh Campground.  The trip started out pretty exciting when we got boxed in above a class VI slot.  Matt saved the day by doing some sketchy climbing up the left wall and roping us up after him.  Just below was a fun drop we named Hawt Fire as we had all been listening to Andrew Bradley yell “Hot Fire” after everything he ran the week before.

We portaged Silver Falls and scouted out the gorge below, which contains two boxed in ledge drops that were good to go and class IV-ish.  *On the flip side we were up there one weekend around 2,000 cfs and there was a bathtub sized log stuck in the second ledge hole the entire weekend.*  Below here things eased off to class II-III with the stand out feature being a travertine warm springs on the left that was too shallow to bathe in, but neat to check out.  To continue below Silver Falls I look for ~1500+ cfs. We took off and vowed not to confine ourselves to the lower Ohane when we came up here in the future.  Hawt Fire has even proven worthy of a park and huck (easy to lap) if you bring a lunch and a fun group on a sunny day.

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Access to the park entrance

1.8 miles upstream of Ohanapecosh Campground, Stevens Canyon Rd heads left and through the pay entrance to the National Park.  Thee is a pullout at the intersection that can be used for free.  The bridge is within 100 yards of this intersection.

Instead of putting in at the Park Entrance Bridge, these days we walk in 100 yards before Stevens Canyon road turns left off of HWY 12, thus avoiding the boxed in class VI that gave the Lucas's, Matt and I trouble that first time down.  It's a short/easy walk through old growth (veer to the right side of the gully).

Hawt Fire access

click to enlarge

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Panther Creek to Park Entrance

1.8 miles

I have not done this stretch of the Ohanapecosh, it is full of non-hazardous wood amongst gravel bars.  You are floating through the Grove of the Patriarchs though, so if you are not opposed to a number of easy portages it might be worth doing.  It looks like there would be some nice gravel beaches to camp on in this section as well.

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Panther Creek Access

4.2 miles upstream of Ohanapecosh Campground on Hwy 123, you cross over Panther Creek.  Access to the river is easier a short ways (walking distance) downstream from the Panther Creek bridge.

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Eastside Trail to Panther Creek

1.5 mile hike

2.1 river miles 

 This is the most adventurous section of the Ohanapecosh that has been documented.   It involves a hike in, some dealing, one involved portage and some fun rapids including a runnable 30 footer.

There is a good trip report at Oregonkayaking.net

This section has only been done at lower levels, as one of the portages is tricky even at low water.  So if the Secret Campground section is feeling runnable but manky, this section might be worth checking out for adventurous boaters.  I felt after doing the trip that if the tricky portage changed and became runnable, I would endeavor to run this section every couple of years.

*While hiking in, it is easy to pick off Stafford Falls on Chinook Creek.

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Eastside Trail Access
46.8045, -121.5653

3.6 miles upstream of Panther Creek on Hwy 123 is the Owyhigh trailhead, which leads quickly downstream to the Eastside trail.  Continue downstream paralleling Chinook Creek for 3 miles to a bridge over the Ohanapecosh at a double falls.  This is the put in.  If you are handy with a map, you might notice that Hwy 123 parallels Chinook Creek on the shuttle.  If you want to knock off most of the hike, just park anywhere and bushwhack down to Chinook Creek and wade across.  The trail is typically within 50 yards on river right down there.

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Upstream of the Eastside trail bridge

unknown

 Upstream of the Eastside trail the Ohanapecosh still has enough water to boat, and gradient to create whitewater.  Access would be extremely challenging, but not impossible.  There has been no documentation of trips occurring up there, I imagine it would be an exceptionally difficult trip with hard whitewater and portaging. 

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The Ohanapecosh from Daniel Price on Vimeo.

Hawt Fire at healthy flows, 1200 or so on the gauge.

  -jacob

The Ohane

 -Story by Nate Merrill

Since I made it back to the great north west from a winter in Crested Butte, the Ohanepacosh has been at the top of my list. Two weeks ago, Dan, Jacob, and myself headed up to knock off the PNW classic. Jacob had done the run once before, but it was the first time down for Dan and I. With flows looking to be on the upper end and a sunny day in the forecast, we agreed to meet in Jantzen Beach at 8 AM to begin the long haul up towards Mt. Rainier. Somewhere along the line there was a miscommunication and upon arrival at the rendezvous, I learned that Jacob and Dan were rafting together and I was going to be the only kayaker on the water that day. After some funny interactions in the grocery store, we loaded up Dan’s raft into my car, strapped the kayak and the bike onto the roof and we were on our way north. 3 hours later, we were standing at the secret camp put-in starring at river that was moving like a freight-train. I think it was this point when Jacob turned to me and asked “Hey, you see that big hole over there along the right wall?” to which I replied, “yeah, it looks pretty sticky.” Jacob smiled at my response and stated “on my first trip down, that hole was a shallow auto-boof and today it looks like it could pound the bejesus out of you.” The river was high. I don’t think I realized how high it was until much later in the trip. Note: the Cowlitz was reading about 2,000 cfs.

 After a quick discussion and a scout of the drops just downstream, we all decided to give her a go, despite the high water. I’d like to mention that Jacob and Dan were very respectful of my initial hesitance to commit to the run. Both offered to drive elsewhere in the drainage to catch other creeks and even offered to allow me to guide the raft R3 style if I wasn’t feeling comfortable with being the only guy in a kayak. In the end, we decided that we would take our time, setting safety at every drop, and work our way down the run in a methodical fashion. I busted out the bike shuttle in about 30 minutes and we were on the river before 2pm. Note: the bike shuttle is stupid easy for this one. The river starts off with a series of narrow ledges. The second of which is the drop noted on oregonkayaking to possess a dangerous crack/cave combo on river left. Each ledge was clean and the boofs were some of the best I’ve ever seen. Pretty soon we approached the first recommended scout on the run. It is worthwhile to note that after the initial ledges, the river mellows for about half a mile. Just when you least expect a major drop to be around the corner, hop out of your boat to scout this wood chocked 7 foot pour over. I portaged on river left while Jacob and Dan fired up the thin line with ease.

  From here, we entered a series of complex boulder gardens separated by moving pools. I have a feeling that some of these boulder gardens were actually made easier by the flow that we had. I think the extra water opened more lines and covered up a few rocks that might have thrown someone off line. The holes were big but avoidable for the most part. Clean lines were had by all. Before long, we go out to scout Triple Drop. This class V drop starts with a log jam, which is doable, but leads into a romping stomping terminal hole and is followed by two more giant pour over style hydraulics. I portaged the drop outright while Dan and Jacob walked the tricky log jam/hole combo at the top and ran the second and third holes. The last of these holes is backed up by a giant boulder that gives the hydraulic a retentive nature. Lines existed on both the right and left side of the drop, but anything in between would lead to a long and nasty beating.

 

This is where things started to blend together a bit. There was a lot of eddy hoping and boat scouting through some amazing boulder gardens. The crux of this section consisted of a really funky ledge drop with a tall curler right at the lip. The ledge was narrow and dropped into a slot that looked turbulent, but was flushing nicely. I ran the drop first while Dan and Jacob set safety. The goal for this drop was to boof off the curler at the lip and have enough speed and a strong enough stroke to gap out over the pour over and land in the slot below. AKA. Paddle really hard and try to boof 5 feet downstream. The line actually worked very well for both me in my kayak, as wells as the raft. And the photos of both runs turned out great.

  Next up was an 8 foot ledge that we didn’t scout, but probably should have. Jacob likened this drop to boulder sluice on the little white. Being in the wrong place at the lip or missing a stroke would probably result in a beat down. Below this ledge, you have about 75 feet to hit an eddy and begin your portage around Elbow Room. This drop is nasty and the portage isn’t much better. Dan opted for a seal launch in the raft, which nearly resulted in his head knocking a rock, while Jacob did the 45 foot cliff jump into the walled out gorge below the rapid. I wasn’t feeling the jump and spent about 25 minutes roping my boat and then myself down the cliff side to a small ledge at river level where I was able to get into my kayak. After a few more smaller rapids the walls began to rise up even higher on either side of the canyon and we entered the crux section of the Ohanepacosh. It was at this point when I realized just how high the water was. I was standing at the lip of a falls that I had studied intently via photographs, yet I could hardly recognize the drop nor the class V rapids below. All of the photos that I had seen of this section were no help at the water level we had. Everything looked completely different and a lot harder. Dan and Jacob opted to gut the falls and had a great line. Somehow Jacob got bucked from his seat in the raft and landed in Dan’s lap. Apparently, this was a theme for the majority of the trip…. But you would have to ask Jacob or Dan about that. I opted to take a line that was more technical, but if performed correctly would allow me to avoid the meat of the falls and maybe even keep my head dry. I ran the lead-in (a series of 3 small pour overs) on far river right before catching an eddy at the lip of the big drop behind a midstream boulder. From here I surfed a wave, which was created by the boulder I was behind, over to the river left side of the maw and drove hard onto a flake. The result was an autoboof that kept me high, dry, and well away from the powerful hydraulic at the bottom of the falls. Although the line sounds convoluted (and it was) I’d do it again in a heartbeat. So fun and I didn’t get worked!

  You can see the small series of pour overs I came down on river right and the eddy I caught (just below the raft) Dan and Jacob gut the falls. I surfed over and boofed off the flake river left of the raft. After the adrenaline of the falls, I was content to walk the last rapid on the Ohanepacosh. It looked good to go, but a blown line would mean a beat down and I was starting to feel tired from the long day. Of course, Dan and Jacob, steped up to the plate and fired off the drop with style. A photo is worth a thousand words, so I’ll let the pictures do the talking on this one. I would like to note that this is the section that is often photographed in trip reports and guide books. I suggest comparing the photo here to the photo in Bennet’s book. The comparison gives a good indication to the amount of water that was in there on our trip.

 

After Jacob and Dan had completed their run, we boogied down to La Wis Wis campground and began our long drive home. As I was getting out of my boat it dawned on me that I had just completed my favorite run thus far in my kayaking career. The rundown: easy shuttle, amazing whitewater, pristine old growth forest, crystal clear pools, steep granitic canyons, and lush steam side vegetation. All this coupled together with the adrenaline of a high water descent has certainly left an impression on me and I can’t think of any run I enjoy more. I’ll be back as soon as I can.