Washington whitewater - Cowlitz River, Northern Cascade Range, Lewis County

Lewis county, Cispus River to Riffe Lake section whitewater kayaking, rafting, and paddling information.

 

CLASS III     9 miles
  Whitewater rafting and kayaking in Washington is often tougher than elsewhere, so keep in mind that a large number of rivers in this state are not easy. The natural beauty of Lewis County and the cool fresh water make the trip here worthwhile. Since you're on this site you are probably into whitewater rafting or kayaking, either way in this general area you'll find lots of paddling places. The nearby hotels are a bit away from the river, but if you don’t have reservations you might end up sleeping in your car. There's camping available near Cowlitz River.
    The river winds through the Northern Cascade Range and you get great scenery. Getting some good exercise and just being out on the river for a while will make you glad you came. This is the only paddling section along Cowlitz River. This section is long enough to enjoy a good non
stop paddle, it's good length for a morning trip. The Cispus River to Riffe Lake stretch of Cowlitz River in Lewis County is 9 miles long and is rated by American Whitewater as a class III section.

Briefly about the general area:
Cowlitz River regularly gets a lot of rainfall; of all the months in a year December is the one with the most rain, and July is when it's the driest. Cowlitz Falls is an inspiring spot to take a look at while here.
All through the summer months at Cowlitz River temperatures are commonly in the 70's. Summer overnight
 
lows drop down to the 40's. Through the winter this place gets highs in the 40's, and winter nights come with lows in the 30's to Cowlitz River.

Cowlitz River, Cispus River to Riffe Lake road map
Printable road map with the put-in and take-out locations clearly marked.

QUICK STATS
AW Class: III
Length: 9 miles
  
Putin Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 46.47972
Longitude: -122.10084

Takeout Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 46.46083
Longitude: -122.15056

Paddler input for Cowlitz River, Washington:

Submit Input:
Your Name:
Write or Paste Input here:

Upload picture:      Input Submission Guidelines




Current weather conditions at Cowlitz River, Northern Cascade Range, Washington
WXPort

Local climate location: GLENOMA 7 miles away


RAFTING TRIP OUTFITTERS

There are no whitewater outfitters currently listed for this river.

Econo Lodge Buckley, Buckley
33 miles away
Mt. Rainier National Park, Puyallup Fairground, Crystal Mountain, White River Amphitheater and King County Fairground are all nearby. All rooms have microwaves, refrigerators, iron and ironing board. ...

Best Western Park Plaza, Puyallup
35 miles away
Welcome to the Best Western Park Plaza Hotel and Event Center in Puyallup Washington! The Best Western Park Plaza is the closest hotel to the Western Washington Fairgrounds which hosts a variety of ...

Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Puyallup (Tacoma Area), Wa, Puyallup
35 miles away
Stay Smart in Puyallup!Welcome to the Holiday Inn Express hotel and suites in historic Puyallup, WA, home of the Puyallup Fair and Events Center. The hotel is located just 15 minutes from Tacoma and 3...



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

   

OUTDOORS
These outdoors activities are available near Cowlitz River.
 Whitewater Near Cowlitz River:
Mineral Creek - North Fork, Lewis County , 11 miles away, Class IV(V) - 6 miles long (Gale to Mineral Creek)
Cispus River, Lewis County , 11 miles away, Class III - 20.2 miles long (Road 28 Bridge to Scanewa Reservoir)
Mineral Creek, Lewis County , 13 miles away, Class II - 5.5 miles long (North Fork to Alder Lake)
Silver Creek, Lewis County , 15 miles away, Class V - 4.5 miles long (Lynx Creek to Mary Kiona Park)
Tilton River, Lewis County , 17 miles away, Class II-III - 8.5 miles long (Morton to Bremer)
Little Nisqually River, Lewis County , 18 miles away, Class IV+ - 5.7 miles long (Winston Creek to Alder Lake)
Muddy River, Skamania County , 18 miles away, Class II-III(IV) - 5.5 miles long (FR 25 Bridge to Lewis North Fork)
Tilton River - North Fork, -blank- County , 19 miles away, Class IV - 2.5 miles long (above Tilton confluence)
Yellowjacket Creek, Skamania/Lewis County , 20 miles away, Class IV - 5.2 miles long (Veta Creek to Cispus River confluence)
Lewis River - North Fork, Cowlitz County , 21 miles away, Class II-III - 4.5 miles long (FR 9039 to Swift Reservoir)
 Ski Areas Near Cowlitz River:
Crystal Mountain, Washington , 50 miles away, 3100 vertical feet
White Pass, Washington , 51 miles away, 1500 vertical feet
Timberline Lodge, Oregon , 61 miles away, 3590 vertical feet
Mt. Hood Ski Bowl, Oregon , 61 miles away, 1500 vertical feet
Cooper Spur, Oregon , 62 miles away, 500 vertical feet
Mt. Hood Meadows, Oregon , 63 miles away, 2777 vertical feet
Snoqualmie, Washington , 66 miles away, 1100 vertical feet
Alpental, Washington , 67 miles away, 2280 vertical feet
Stephens Pass, Washington , 82 miles away, 1800 vertical feet
Hoodoo, Oregon , 100 miles away, 1035 vertical feet
 Hotels Near Cowlitz River:
Econo Lodge Buckley, Buckley , 33 miles away
Best Western Park Plaza, Puyallup , 35 miles away
Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Puyallup (Tacoma Area), Wa, Puyallup , 35 miles away
Kings Valu Inn, Enumclaw , 36 miles away
Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites SUMNER, Sumner , 37 miles away
 Camp Grounds Near Cowlitz River:
Taidnapam Park, Glenoma, 3 miles away
Quartz Creek Big Trees Campground, Lewis County, 5 miles away
Cowlitz Falls Campground, Randle, 8 miles away
 Trails Near Cowlitz River:
Independence Pass Interpretive Trail, Skamania County , 9 miles away, 1.5 hiking miles, 382 feet elevation difference
Coldwater Trail, Skamania County , 10 miles away,  10.6 hiking miles, 3233 feet elevation difference
Fawn Lake Trail, Cowlitz County , 11 miles away, 1.4 hiking miles, 361 feet elevation difference
Smith Creek Trail, Skamania County , 12 miles away,  6.2 hiking miles, 2573 feet elevation difference
Bean Creek Trail, Skamania County , 12 miles away, 7.4 hiking miles, 3072 feet elevation difference
Pine Creek Trail, Skamania County , 13 miles away, 7 hiking miles, 2561 feet elevation difference
Smith Creek Butte Trail, Skamania County , 15 miles away, 2.2 hiking miles, 1525 feet elevation difference
 National Parks Near Cowlitz River:
Mount Rainier National Park, Ashford - WA , 16 miles away
 Lakes Near Cowlitz 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