Washington whitewater - Cascade River, Northern Cascade Range, Skagit County Skagit county, Mineral Park to Marble Creek Campground section whitewater kayaking, rafting, and paddling information.   CLASS II     6 miles   Did this section July 21, 2007 in a tandem canoe, at about 1850. Had never done this section before. The description above seems accurate. Several large log jams, some completely blocking the river, forcing us to take some long and rough portages through thick brush and over huge piles of logs. Even when the river is not blocked, there are serious strainers at every bend. You really have to be alert to avoid them. A lot of work and danger for the few fun class II rapids you get within the first mile or so. We spent nearly three hours on portages and scouting     and only about one hour actually on the water. Not recommended. Says Just attempted this section of river August 10th, 2006. Very dangerous. It is no longer a class 2 after the big washout in 2004. River is full of debris and log jams. At one particular log jam on the left fork of the split (the right fork was completely dammed up) our raft was sucked into a huge 4 foot waterfall that was blocked by logs. It destroyed our raft, and we lost all of our gear. I was sucked under for several seconds, barely managing to make it out alive. Luckily I was wearing a helmet because my head hit several logs under water in the falls. The vortex created by this logjam was immense. I somehow managed to pull my self onto a log and catch my breath. We had to hike through thick forest over 2 miles to the bridge on road 1550. Needless   to say I am cut up, bruised, with a miled concussion. This stretch of river is extremely dangerous. Do not attempt. There is no passage to get to Marble Creek Campground. You will be stuck in the deep forest. Says Curtis Jones Whitewater rafting and kayaking in Washington is often more difficult than elsewhere, so you'd better keep in mind that rivers here are not as easy as elsewhere. The Mineral Park to Marble Creek Campground section of Cascade River in Skagit County is 6 miles long and it is classified as a class II section by American Whitewater. This is a pretty decent length section, good for a one day paddling trip. And of course, there are campgrounds nearby. Getting some good exercise and a chance to spend some time outdoors have a lot of people coming here. There aren’t any hotels right nearby but if you're willing to drive a short distance then no problem but if you don’t have reservations you might end up sleeping in your car. The Northern Cascade Range scenery is wonderful. Whether you're whitewater rafting or kayaking this is an area with plenty of rivers for that. There are some good stretches to paddle in this river system, the Mineral Park to Marble Creek Campground stretch is one of them. The natural beauty of Washington and the sparkling of the sunlight on the water are in themselves reasons enough to come here to paddle. Briefly about the general area: Hiking along the Hidden Lake Trail is magnificent fun. All through the warmest time of the year highs here at Cascade River reach the 70's. Summer night lows plunge down to the 50's. The cold days of the wintertime come with highs in the 30's, and winter nights come with lows in the 30's to Cascade River. All the water falling down from the sky makes Cascade River a wet site; through December this area sees the most rain while July is generally the driest month. Cascade River, Mineral Park to Marble Creek Campground road map Printable road map with the put-in and take-out locations clearly marked. QUICK STATS AW Class: II Length: 6 miles Average Gradient: 25 fpm    Putin Location Coordinates: Latitude: 48.50132 Longitude: -121.25061 Takeout Location Coordinates: Latitude: 48.53064 Longitude: -121.28061 Paddler input for Cascade River, Washington: Submit Input: Your Name: Write or Paste Input here: Upload picture:      Input Submission Guidelines Current weather conditions at Cascade River, Northern Cascade Range, Washington Local climate location: NEWHALEM 9 miles away RAFTING TRIP OUTFITTERS There are no whitewater outfitters currently listed for this river.   Northern Cascade Range Whitewater Complete list of all the whitewater kayaking and rafting spots in the Northern Cascade Range. Northern Cascade Range Outdoors Info Complete outdoors info for the Northern Cascade Range. All Washington Whitewater Complete list of all the whitewater paddling spots in Washington. Books about whitewater paddling on Cascade River, Washington List of books from Amazon.com that cover whitewater paddling on Cascade River, Washington. Find a whitewater outfitter in Washington Whitewater Basics If you're new to whitewater paddling please take a look at this basic whitewater info. Outdoors Recreation Near Mount Vernon-Anacortes, Washington Very comprehensive list of a variety of outdoors recreation in the vicinity of Mount Vernon-Anacortes, Washington, the metro area neareast to Cascade River. Find info on campgrounds, hiking trails, ski resorts, lakes, beaches, parks, whitewater and more.       These outdoors activities are available near Cascade River.   Whitewater Near Cascade River: Cascade River, Skagit County , 6 miles away, Class V - 8.1 miles long (Marble Creek Campground to Bridge Close to Skagit confluence) Skagit River, Whatcom County , 7 miles away, Class II-III+ - 8.9 miles long (Goodell Creek to Copper Creek) Bacon Creek, Whatcom/Skagit County , 11 miles away, Class II+(IV) - 6 miles long (Falls Creek to Skagit River confluence) Suiattle River, Snohomish/Skagit County , 12 miles away, Class III+ - 16 miles long (Sulphur Creek to Rat Trap Bridge) Downey Creek, Snohomish County , 12 miles away, Class III-IV - 1 miles long (Downey Creek trail to Suiattle River) Stetattle Creek, Whatcom County , 12 miles away, Class IV(V) - 4 miles long (Jay Creek to Gorge Lake) Illabot Creek, Skagit County , 13 miles away, Class V - 5 miles long (to Rockport-Cascade Road) Skagit River, Skagit County , 15 miles away, Class I-II - 16.4 miles long (Copper Creek to Rockport) Whitechuck River, Snohomish County , 19 miles away, Class IV - 6 miles long (Bridge above Crystal Creek to Sauk River confluence) Sauk River - North Fork, Snohomish County , 20 miles away, Class IV+ - 1.5 miles long (Above North Fork Falls)   Ski Areas Near Cascade River: Mt.Baker, Washington , 31 miles away, 1500 vertical feet Stephens Pass, Washington , 37 miles away, 1800 vertical feet Alpental, Washington , 50 miles away, 2280 vertical feet Snoqualmie, Washington , 52 miles away, 1100 vertical feet Crystal Mountain, Washington , 74 miles away, 3100 vertical feet Mission Ridge, Washington , 82 miles away, 2200 vertical feet White Pass, Washington , 86 miles away, 1500 vertical feet Echo Valley, Washington , 88 miles away, 900 vertical feet Loup Loup Ski Bowl, Washington , 94 miles away, 1240 vertical feet Cooper Spur, Oregon , 144 miles away, 500 vertical feet   Camp Grounds Near Cascade River: Newhalem Campground, Whatcom County, 7 miles away Goodell Campground, Whatcom County, 7 miles away Mineral Park Campground, Skagit County, 7 miles away   Trails Near Cascade River: Hidden Lake Trail, Skagit County , 4 miles away,  5.8 hiking miles, 2693 feet elevation difference Pyramid Lake Trail, Whatcom County , 12 miles away,  2.2 hiking miles, 1153 feet elevation difference Sulphur Mountain Way, Snohomish County , 14 miles away,  3.8 hiking miles, 4270 feet elevation difference Sourdough Lookout Trail, Whatcom County , 16 miles away,  16.4 hiking miles, 5982 feet elevation difference Meadow Mountain Trail, Snohomish County , 16 miles away, 13.4 hiking miles, 4096 feet elevation difference Fire Creek Way, Snohomish County , 17 miles away,  9.2 hiking miles, 1437 feet elevation difference Fire Creek Trail, Snohomish County , 17 miles away,  23.2 hiking miles, 4244 feet elevation difference   National Parks Near Cascade River: Lake Chelan National Recreation Area, Sedro-Woolley - WA , 63 miles away North Cascades National Park, Sedro-Woolley - WA , 63 miles away