Washington whitewater - Nisqually River, Northern Cascade Range, Thurston County
Thurston
county,
McKenna to Yelm Hydro Plant section whitewater kayaking, rafting, and paddling information.
CLASS III 7 miles
I noticed you would like a little info on rafting the Nisqualy river. I raft the river alot every year and would say it is a very mild float. From Mckenna to the Nisqualy pines park in yelm is very mellow and there are no places to worry about. You can make this float with minimal knowledge in almost anything that floats. There are 3 small/fun rapids sections. Says Yelm-ite
I would like to know if anyone has been down this and can let me know of any log jams that are on the Mckenna-Hydro stretch that need to be avoided. Says Lori
The McKenna
to Yelm Hydro Plant section of Nisqually River in Thurston County is 7 miles long and it is classified as a class III section by American Whitewater. The put-in is not too far from Olympia, there's a road map further down the page with more info on that. The natural beauty of Washington
and the sparkling of the sunlight on the water are in themselves reasons enough to come here to paddle. You might have to settle for a hotel a bit away from the river if you want to stay the night, and if you make reservations in advance you're all set. Getting a good workout and spending some quality time in nature will make you glad you came. The McKenna to Yelm Hydro Plant section is one of a few paddling sections in this river system. This is a pretty decent length section, suitable for an afternoon trip. There are campgrounds quite near the river where
you can camp. Whitewater rafting and kayaking spots in Washington tend to be more challenging than the national average, so if you're visiting here do keep in mind that rivers here are less forgiving. When you're paddling down a Northern Cascade Range river like this one you always
get great scenery along the way too. Whether you're whitewater rafting or kayaking this is an area with plenty of rivers for that.
Briefly about the general area: Nisqually River sees pretty high levels of rainfall; the month with most of the rain is December, and the
driest month of the year is July. Summertime highs at Nisqually River mostly tend to be in the 70's while night lows are generally in the 50's. For the duration of the winter this place gets highs in the 40's while Nisqually River night low temperatures during the wintertime are in the 30's.
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All Washington Whitewater Complete list of all the whitewater paddling spots in Washington.Books about whitewater paddling on Nisqually River, Washington List of books from Amazon.com that cover whitewater paddling on Nisqually River, Washington.Find a whitewater outfitter in WashingtonWhitewater Basics If you're new to whitewater paddling please take a look at this basic whitewater info.Outdoors Recreation Near Olympia, Washington Very comprehensive list of a variety of outdoors recreation in the vicinity of Olympia, Washington, the metro area neareast to Nisqually River. Find info on campgrounds, hiking trails, ski resorts, lakes, beaches, parks, whitewater and more.
These outdoors activities are available near Nisqually River.