Stream: Many people in the Pacific Northwest learn how to fall off waterfalls on the East Fork Lewis River, but what many don't realize is that the main stem (or North Fork as some refer to it) is a fantastic place to take those waterfall skills up a notch in the summertime. The falls require just the right amount of adventure, and tend to be more forgiving in the summer than drops of similar height in the PNW.
**The following description is for flows in the 200-500 cfs range, as the flows go up, this turns into a much more serious run and this description will not hold true at those flows. **
Walking a short distance on the trail at Quartz Creek will lead to a convenient rock beach that is only a couple hundred yards above Taitnapum, the first waterfall. Taitnapum can be scouted beforehand from the trail, but we generally choose to scout from the lip on river right. I have seen two lines run here, one is the center where the most water is, the other is a few feet off the left wall. Both of these lines go, though each have their pros and cons.
Matt King, left line.
Next is a small slide run wherever (I like the ledge on the right), then a narrow channel chiseled out of the wide bedrock before we get out on the left to scout the right channel lead in to Upper Falls by drying out to the left of the channel. This drop is straight forward, but its not always run according to plan. Its worth having the probe set safety below this drop as a swim would result in a high probability of gear (and possibly a swimmer) going over the nastiest part of Upper Falls. Once everyone groups below this drop we run the next ledge far right, catching one of two small eddies to portage the ugly (but has been run) part of Upper Falls.
To run what is my favorite drop of the run, the lower tier of Upper Falls, we have always roped down to a small pothole ten yards above the lip. The key here is to seal launch slowly backwards into a small eddy in order to set up for a controlled peal out into the main flow. The middle line offers a big boof, or you can tuck it up down the left side for a softer hit.
Joe Kemper setting up in the pothole.
Paul Guinea dropping the soft side.
The horizon line of Middle Falls can't be missed. The right side is a silly fun slide. We usually slide it on our buts a few times and even hauled a boogie board down the run once for this purpose. There are some lines to try out in the middle of the river, and some class V lines on river left.
Keeping it simple, sliding down the right side.
The next mile is rocky class 2. Below the remnants of an old bridge, the river starts showing bedrock again. Soon enough you will see wooden stairs on the right which signal Lower Falls. Safety can and should be set at Lower Falls (a 75' bag reaches from river right), enough people have ended up behind the falls to warrant this. If you find yourself back there, it is worth noting there is a ledge at the back of the cave people have stood on in the past.
Nate Merrill
The take out trail for people running Lower Falls is below the pool on the right, or continue to the bridge.
Another video from Andrew Bradley
Flows: Flows: I have run this section from 200-500 cfs on the Lewis above Muddy River Gauge. If it gets much higher the pot-hole at Upper Falls that we rope into becomes covered. 200 is pretty low, I like 300-400 best.
Access: Put in: Walk down the trail from the parking area next to Quartz Creek (46.1824, -121.8497) until you see an easily accessible gravel bar on the main stem of the Lewis.
Take Out: Hike out on a trail just below Lower Falls (46.1561, -121.8801) on the right, or continue to the bridge a short distance downstream.
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Story
Rafting the waterfalls of the North Fork Lewis
Rafting the waterfalls of the North Fork Lewis
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Most people who boat with me for any length of time figure out that regardless of a runs quality, I have an enigmatic resistance to repeating runs I have already done. One of the few exceptions to this rule is the falls section of the Lewis River. I try to do this run once every year, and have enjoyed it immensely every time. It is a great combo of adventure, with predictable flows and what can be low stress trips full of fun, large drops.
Taitnapum during Spring runoff.
For my birthday after graduating high school, my family, girlfriend and I camped at the Lower falls campground. It had been over a year since I was here last. That time I had shyed away from the lower falls after seeing Rush Sturges get stuck in the cave, and I broke my nose running Upper falls.
Rush, over the lip and through the veil he goes.
Sunday rolled around and it was time to run the falls section. Jean Loosmore and John showed up along with Tim Brink and ORT, who were going to make a go at rafting the waterfalls. Paul Guinea rode up with ORT. Jean realized pretty quickly he had forgotten his PFD so he opted to video the show. After scouting, we all put on and ran Taitnapum, a 20 footer that produced some interesting lines.
Rush, over the lip and through the veil he goes.
This year, my goal was to run Lower falls if I was feeling ready. On Friday I ran the upper section with my stepdad Dave, and I had run a challenging waterfall up on that section.
Sunday rolled around and it was time to run the falls section. Jean Loosmore and John showed up along with Tim Brink and ORT, who were going to make a go at rafting the waterfalls. Paul Guinea rode up with ORT. Jean realized pretty quickly he had forgotten his PFD so he opted to video the show. After scouting, we all put on and ran Taitnapum, a 20 footer that produced some interesting lines.
Paul went first and cleaned up. I went next and was planning on a plug, but hit a pad on the way down and dropped at a 45 until I hit the rock face forming the fall which dropped my bow and I came up facing the falls but upright. I got out and watched from a neat angle the raft running it, from my perch they dropped off the falls pointed right at me, and where close enough that when they hit,I was splashed by the sheet of water they created.
Last was John, some miscommunication caused him to be offline and he got turned sideways and ended up dislocating his thumb :(
It wasn't a great place to get out of the river, so John sucked it down through a couple more class IVs until we got to where the trail met back up with the river at Upper Lewis Falls.
It wasn't a great place to get out of the river, so John sucked it down through a couple more class IVs until we got to where the trail met back up with the river at Upper Lewis Falls.
Jean's girlfriend was starting to get sick, Jean couldn't boat without his life jacket and John had the dislocated thumb so it was an easy call for that group to head back home at this point.
We bid farewell and got all the boats down into the pothole at the lip of the lower 35' tier of Upper Falls. Getting into the eddy in a controlled manner is the most crucial part of this drop as I learned last year when I got blown out before I could set up properly. Last year Nick and I had gone off the middle of the falls, hitting the autoboof. This year I wanted to try for what looked like a softer hit on the left. Ox helped lower me backwards into the eddy out of the raft and I got a controlled ferry into the river left side of this drop which was a nice bounce, bounce, plug into the pool below.
The raft was next, and being bigger than the eddy found the ferry out of it a little tricky. They ended up going off the completely vertical right side of the falls. Tim had the foresight to bring football helmets for both of them on this trip, for which they were grateful when they clashed noggins at the bottom of the drop. Three upright lines and we hightailed it to Middle Falls, I went for the easy slide down the right, while Paul tried one of the tricky lines on the left side of the drop, again coming out upright. 
of not being able to run the falls (the effort already spent this day plus what it would take to get it back to the top meant they would not be running the falls today.
Tim and Ox had been planning on running the drop, and of all the waterfalls on the run this had been the one they were most looking forward to. Tim and Ox took off to corral the boat downstream, while Paul and I returned to scouting the drop. After a large chunk of time I decided to go. As I floated down into the lead in I saw Paul waving the camera, signaling that he couldn't get it to work.
I quickly decided I was already focused and the media wasn't important enough to stop and try again.
As I came through the lead in my focused narrowed and I got what I would described as tunnel vision with my periphrial vision going black but the path in front of me in hyper resolution, something that has not ever happened again for me again. I locked my sight on the first 5' drop, with the 40' horizon just beyond. I planted a stroke off the top ledge to keep my bow up but but not so much of one that I would plane out, as the two drops were so close together. I felt in control and right where I wanted to be. I shifted the boat slightly to the right, took a strong right stroke off the lip, then a left follow through part way down, it was at this point I remembered I wanted to tuck, so took one last right stroke as I folded over the front of my boat. With all those strokes, I must have landed at less than a 45 degree angle because I didn't sub out. It was a hit, but I was tucked up well so any pain quickly faded. One more stroke in the alley below and I was sailing past the side veils and into the calm pool downstream.
I was feeling great, I had done something challenging and accomplished a goal that had been important to me. Because Paul had run upstream to tell me about the camera, the rafters were chasing down their boat, and my family and girlfriend were still running down the trail, only one random hiker had seen the descent from afar. It was a moment I had to myself, and so I chose to soak in it for awhile in the pool below.
When I had finished reflecting I headed down to the rafters who had arrested the runaway raft, and helped them schlep it up the trail. They would return the next weekend for a their turn at the falls.I was feeling great, I had done something challenging and accomplished a goal that had been important to me. Because Paul had run upstream to tell me about the camera, the rafters were chasing down their boat, and my family and girlfriend were still running down the trail, only one random hiker had seen the descent from afar. It was a moment I had to myself, and so I chose to soak in it for awhile in the pool below.
By this time Paul had finished scouting the drop, and took his turn with a beautiful line in a beautiful place.
I couldn't have asked for a better birthday weekend.
-Jacob
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