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

Lewis county, salmon hatchery to Blue Creek access section whitewater kayaking, rafting, and paddling information.

 

CLASS I-II     10 miles
  The scenic beauty of Washington and the beautiful way the water current moves down the stream attract people from near and far. The put-in location is a reasonable drive from Centralia, please print out a copy of the road map further down the page so you won’t get lost. Great exercise and just being out on the river for a while 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 and if you make reservations in advance you're all set. The beautiful Northern Cascade Range
    scenery is an added bonus. This is the only paddling section along Cowlitz River. If you've been out of state whitewater rafting and kayaking you might find the rivers here more demanding, so you'd better keep in mind that many of the sections here are not safe for beginners. Since
you're on this site you are probably into whitewater rafting or kayaking, either way around here you'll find a large number of good rivers. The salmon hatchery to Blue Creek access section of Cowlitz River in Lewis County is 10 miles long and has been determined by American Whitewater to be a class I-II section. If you hurry you can run this section in a day but why not make it an overnighter, so go ahead and pack your camping stuff. The campgrounds here at Cowlitz River are pretty good.

Briefly about the general area:
Cowlitz River gets a large amount
 
of water; December is the wettest month with most rain; July on the other hand is the driest. For the period of the summer months highs here at Cowlitz River get into the 70's. Summer nighttime lows drop down to the 50's. The wintertime brings highs down to the 40's; after the sun is down throughout the wintertime temperatures at Cowlitz River descend into the 30's.

Cowlitz River, salmon hatchery to Blue Creek access road map
Printable road map with the put-in and take-out locations clearly marked.

QUICK STATS
AW Class: I-II
Length: 10 miles
Average Gradient: 9 fpm
  
Putin Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 46.51597
Longitude: -122.63801

Takeout Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 46.48388
Longitude: -122.73096

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

Local climate location: CENTRALIA 8 miles away


RAFTING TRIP OUTFITTERS

There are no whitewater outfitters currently listed for this river.

Holiday Inn Express Ocean Shores, Wa, Ocean Shores
20 miles away
The Holiday Inn Express Hotel Ocean Shores is located on the beach and just 1 block from the Ocean Shores Convention Center. Ocean Shores' only casino, Quinault Beach Resort Casino, is only 2 miles aw...

Best Western Park Place Inn & Suites, Chehalis
20 miles away
The Best Western Park Place Inn & Suites is equipped to make both the business and leisure traveler feel right at home. The hotel is conveniently located close to museums and ball parks such as the Ve...

Chehalis Inn & Suites, Chehalis
20 miles away
70 comfortable guest rooms featuring individually controlled heat and a/c units, cable tv, free coffee, continental breakfast, electronic door locks, 75 percent non-smoking, three rooms equipped for t...



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 Centralia, Washington
Very comprehensive list of a variety of outdoors recreation in the vicinity of Centralia, 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:
Toutle River - North Fork, Cowlitz County , 7 miles away, Class II+ - 10 miles long (Green River to South Fork confluence)
Toutle River, Cowlitz County , 10 miles away, Class III+(IV) - 9.5 miles long (Highway 504 Bridge to Tower Road Bridge)
Tilton River, Lewis County , 15 miles away, Class III-IV - 11 miles long (Bremer to Ike Kinswa State Park)
Coweeman River, Cowlitz County , 16 miles away, Class II-III(IV) - 11.3 miles long (Brown Creek to Jim Watson Creek)
Deschutes River, Thurston County , 17 miles away, Class II - 9.3 miles long (Vail Loop Road to Military Road)
Green River, Cowlitz County , 18 miles away, Class III-IV - 11.7 miles long (Cascade Creek to gaging station)
Goble Creek, Cowlitz County , 19 miles away, Class III - 2.4 miles long (North Fork and Main Fork)
Olequa Creek, Lewis County , 19 miles away, Class II+ - 6.5 miles long (Annonen Road to Cowlitz River)
Hoffstadt Creek, Cowlitz County , 20 miles away, Class IV-V(V+) - 4.2 miles long (3100 Road to North Fork Toutle)
Kalama River, Cowlitz County , 22 miles away, Class II-IV - 9.5 miles long (Gobar Creek to Lower Kalama Falls)
 Ski Areas Near Cowlitz River:
Mt. Hood Ski Bowl, Oregon , 86 miles away, 1500 vertical feet
Crystal Mountain, Washington , 86 miles away, 3100 vertical feet
Timberline Lodge, Oregon , 87 miles away, 3590 vertical feet
White Pass, Washington , 90 miles away, 1500 vertical feet
Mt. Hood Meadows, Oregon , 90 miles away, 2777 vertical feet
Hurricane Ridge Ski Lodge, Washington , 91 miles away, 100 vertical feet
Cooper Spur, Oregon , 91 miles away, 500 vertical feet
Alpental, Washington , 98 miles away, 2280 vertical feet
Snoqualmie, Washington , 98 miles away, 1100 vertical feet
Stephens Pass, Washington , 112 miles away, 1800 vertical feet
 Hotels Near Cowlitz River:
Holiday Inn Express Ocean Shores, Wa, Ocean Shores , 20 miles away
Best Western Park Place Inn & Suites, Chehalis , 20 miles away
Chehalis Inn & Suites, Chehalis , 20 miles away
Red Lion Kelso, Kelso , 22 miles away
Kelso Super 8 Motel, Kelso , 22 miles away
 Camp Grounds Near Cowlitz River:
Cowlitz Timber Trails Assoc, Salkum, 2 miles away
Barrier Dam Campgrounds, Salkum, 4 miles away
Rainbow Cove, Medical Lake, 7 miles away
 National Parks Near Cowlitz River:
Mount Rainier National Park, Ashford - WA , 50 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