Washington whitewater - Cle Elum River, Northern Cascade Range, Kittitas County

Kittitas county, Cle Elum Dam to confluence with Yakima River section whitewater kayaking, rafting, and paddling information.

 

CLASS II     7.8 miles
  The natural beauty of Kittitas County and the beautiful way the water current moves down the stream beats anything. The Cle Elum Dam to confluence with Yakima River stretch of Cle Elum River is 7.8 miles long and has been determined by American Whitewater to be a class II section. The put-in is not too far from Ellensburg, as you can see on the road map further down. There are some good hotels near the river, but you'd better reserve in advance because these hotels fill up quick. Getting your paddling muscles activated and just hanging out with mother nature
    have people coming from far and near. The Northern Cascade Range scenery is wonderful. This is one of a small number of paddling stretches in this river system, there are a few others too. This stretch is mid length, you can easily run it on an afternoon. Whitewater rafting and
kayaking in this state is often more difficult than elsewhere, so if you're not from around here don't forget that a large number of rivers in this state are not easy. You can pitch a tent or park your RV at a nearby campground. Since you're on this site you are probably into whitewater rafting or kayaking, either way this is an area with plenty of rivers for that.

Briefly about the general area:
Man, is there lots of fun things to do in the Northern Cascade Range. At Cle Elum River all through the summertime highs are in the 60's, and the nighttime
 
is a little cooler of course, frequently in the 40's. Throughout the wintertime this place gets highs in the 20's with winter lows in the 10's overnight here at Cle Elum River.
Why not take a refreshing hike along the Hicks Butte Trail, and do take a hike on the North Fork Taneum Trail. Cle Elum River gets a large amount of water; throughout January this area sees the most snow, and July is when it's the driest.

Cle Elum River, Cle Elum Dam to confluence with Yakima River road map
Printable road map with the put-in and take-out locations clearly marked.

QUICK STATS
AW Class: II
Length: 7.8 miles
Average Gradient: 24 fpm
  
Putin Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 47.24052
Longitude: -121.06471

Takeout Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 47.19105
Longitude: -121.01684

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Current weather conditions at Cle Elum River, Northern Cascade Range, Washington
WXPort

Local climate location: STEVENS PASS 10 miles away


RAFTING TRIP OUTFITTERS

There are no whitewater outfitters currently listed for this river.

Suncadia Resort, Cle Elum
2 miles away
Set on the sunny eastern slopes of the Cascades alongside the sparkling waters of the Cle Elum River and surrounded by pristine pine forest-Suncadia offers the ultimate luxury mountain resort experien...

Stewart Lodge, Cle Elum
6 miles away
The Stewart Lodge offers a wide range of rooms and amenities to make us your recreational or business spot all year around. Our rooms are exceptionally large and include unique pine furniture, microw...

Best Western Snowcap Lodge, Cle Elum
6 miles away
The contemporary Best Western Snowcap Lodge is centrally located on the eastern slopes of the cascade mountains. We are easily accessible from Interstate 90, just a short 90 minute drive from Seattle....



OTHER_INFO
  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 Cle Elum River, Washington
List of books from Amazon.com that cover whitewater paddling on Cle Elum 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 Ellensburg, Washington
Very comprehensive list of a variety of outdoors recreation in the vicinity of Ellensburg, Washington, the metro area neareast to Cle Elum River. Find info on campgrounds, hiking trails, ski resorts, lakes, beaches, parks, whitewater and more.
 

   

OUTDOORS
These outdoors activities are available near Cle Elum River.
 Whitewater Near Cle Elum River:
Cle Elum River, Kittitas County , 9 miles away, Class II - 4 miles long (Salmon La Sac Creek to Cle Elum Reservoir)
Cooper River, Kittitas County , 10 miles away, Class IV-V - 1.5 miles long (Waterfall to Cle Elum River)
Cle Elum River, Kittitas County , 11 miles away, Class IV-V - 8.5 miles long (Scatter Creek to Salmon La Sac Creek)
Waptus River, Kittitas County , 11 miles away, Class II-III+(IV) - 4 miles long (Waptus Lake trail to Salmon La Sac)
Little Naches River, Yakima/Kittitas County , 12 miles away, Class II-III+(IV) - 9.5 miles long (Matthew Creek to Little Naches Campground)
American River, Yakima County , 13 miles away, Class II+ - 5 miles long (American Forks to Sawmill Flat)
Teanaway River - North Fork, Kittitas County , 14 miles away, Class III+ - 3.9 miles long (Johnson Creek to Stafford Creek)
Teanaway River, Kittitas County , 15 miles away, Class II+ - 7 miles long (North Fork Teanaway to East Masterson Road)
Box Canyon Creek, Kittitas County , 16 miles away, Class III-IV+(V) - 2 miles long (to Kachess Reservoir)
American River, Yakima County , 17 miles away, Class III-IV - 4.7 miles long (Hell's Crossing to American Forks)
 Ski Areas Near Cle Elum River:
Snoqualmie, Washington , 27 miles away, 1100 vertical feet
Stephens Pass, Washington , 29 miles away, 1800 vertical feet
Alpental, Washington , 29 miles away, 2280 vertical feet
Crystal Mountain, Washington , 33 miles away, 3100 vertical feet
White Pass, Washington , 36 miles away, 1500 vertical feet
Mission Ridge, Washington , 44 miles away, 2200 vertical feet
Echo Valley, Washington , 76 miles away, 900 vertical feet
Mt.Baker, Washington , 88 miles away, 1500 vertical feet
Cooper Spur, Oregon , 93 miles away, 500 vertical feet
Loup Loup Ski Bowl, Washington , 96 miles away, 1240 vertical feet
 Hotels Near Cle Elum River:
Suncadia Resort, Cle Elum , 2 miles away
Stewart Lodge, Cle Elum , 6 miles away
Best Western Snowcap Lodge, Cle Elum , 6 miles away
Cle Elum Travelers Inn, Cle Elum , 8 miles away
Mandarin Oriental Washington, Washington , 26 miles away
 Camp Grounds Near Cle Elum River:
Trailer Corral, Cle Elum, 3 miles away
Wish Poosh Campground, Kittitas County, 4 miles away
Morgan Creek Campground, Kittitas County, 6 miles away
 Trails Near Cle Elum River:
Hicks Butte Trail, Kittitas County , 4 miles away, 1.4 hiking miles, 271 feet elevation difference
North Fork Taneum Trail, Kittitas County , 5 miles away,  18 hiking miles, 2630 feet elevation difference
Fishhook Flats Trail, Kittitas County , 6 miles away, 2 hiking miles, 581 feet elevation difference
Sasse Mountain Trail, Kittitas County , 7 miles away, 12 hiking miles, 4012 feet elevation difference
Frost Mountain Lookout Trail, Kittitas County , 7 miles away, 4.6 hiking miles, 2361 feet elevation difference
Little Creek Basin Trail, Kittitas County , 7 miles away,  8.2 hiking miles, 1369 feet elevation difference
Domerie Peak Trail, Kittitas County , 8 miles away, 9.2 hiking miles, 2254 feet elevation difference
 National Parks Near Cle Elum River:
Mount Rainier National Park, Ashford - WA , 69 miles away
 Lakes Near Cle Elum River

Outdoors related information copyright © Stratus-Pikpuk, Inc. - Detailed hotel information copyright © Interactive Hotel Solutions
Some content, including Reach Name, Class, and Length, comes from American Whitewater