Washington whitewater, Nisqually River Thurston county, Mashel River to Mckenna section whitewater kayaking, rafting, and paddling information.   CLASS II     14 miles   The beautiful scenery of Washington and the playfulness of the water beats anything. The starting location is a short drive from Centralia, if you're not familiar with the area there's a road map further down the page. The sections for whitewater rafting and kayaking here in Washington are often more challenging than in other states, so if you're visiting here do keep in mind that a lot of the rivers here are not suitable for beginners.     This section of Nisqually River is 14 miles long and is rated by American Whitewater as a class II section. Not too many hotels nearby, you'll have to drive a bit to get to one, but you'd better reserve in advance because these hotels fill up quick. If you hurry you can run this stretch in a day but why not make it an overnighter, so pack your sleeping bag. The river winds through the Northern Cascade Range and you get great scenery. Whether you're whitewater rafting or kayaking around here you'll find a large number of good places. This is not the only paddling section in this river system, there are others too. A bit of exercise and just being out on the river   for a while are great reasons to come. For all you camping people there are campgrounds nearby. Briefly about the general area: There are plenty of people from Roy here at Nisqually River. Through the summertime months at Nisqually River temperatures are mostly in the 70's. Throughout the moonlight hours it's typically in the 50's. During the winter the highs are commonly in the 40's while the cold winter nights at Nisqually River are in the 30's. Nisqually River sees pretty high levels of precipitation. The wettest month of the year is frequently December, that's the one that rains the most, and July is when it's the driest. Nisqually River, Mashel River to Mckenna road map Printable road map with the put-in and take-out locations clearly marked.     Map Detailed Map Stats Stats for this river stretch Weather Local weather forecast These outdoors activities are available near Nisqually River.   Whitewater Near Nisqually River: Deschutes River, Thurston County, 8 miles away       Class II - 9.3 miles long (Vail Loop Road to Military Road) Nisqually River, Thurston County, 8 miles away       Class II - 14 miles long (Mashel River to Mckenna) Nisqually River, Thurston County, 8 miles away       Class III - 7 miles long (McKenna to Yelm Hydro Plant) Whitewater Outfitter - McFarland Rafting, Pierce County, 10 miles away       Whitewater outfitter Nisqually River, -blank- County, 11 miles away       Class V - 1.9 miles long (La Grande Reservoir to Mashel River) Little Nisqually River, Lewis County, 12 miles away       Class IV+ - 5.7 miles long (Winston Creek to Alder Lake) Tilton River - North Fork, -blank- County, 13 miles away       Class IV - 2.5 miles long (above Tilton confluence) Mashel River, Pierce County, 14 miles away       Class II-IV - 7.5 miles long (Eatonville to Nisqually River confluence) Tilton River, Lewis County, 15 miles away       Class III-IV - 11 miles long (Bremer to Ike Kinswa State Park) Puyallup River, Pierce County, 18 miles away       Class II - 9 miles long (Kapowsin Road Bridge to Highway 162)   Ski Areas Near Nisqually River: Crystal Mountain, Washington , 67 miles away, 3100 foot drop, 11 lifts, 50 runs White Pass, Washington , 74 miles away, 1500 foot drop, 6 lifts, 32 runs Alpental, Washington , 75 miles away, 2280 foot drop, 5 lifts, 19 runs Summit at Snoqualmie, Washington , 75 miles away, 2280 foot drop, 26 lifts, 96 runs Stevens Pass, Washington , 88 miles away, 1800 foot drop, 10 lifts, 37 runs Mt. Hood Ski Bowl, Oregon , 89 miles away, 1500 foot drop, 9 lifts, 65 runs Timberline Lodge, Oregon , 89 miles away, 3590 foot drop, 6 lifts, 32 runs Hurricane Ridge Ski Lodge, Washington , 90 miles away, 800 foot drop, 3 lifts, 10 runs Cooper Spur, Oregon , 91 miles away, 500 foot drop, 2 lifts, 10 runs Mt. Hood Meadows, Oregon , 91 miles away, 2777 foot drop, 12 lifts, 87 runs   Marinas Near Nisqually River: Delin Docks, Tacoma , 17 miles away Dock Street Marina, Tacoma , 17 miles away Petrich Marine Dock, Tacoma , 17 miles away Foss Harbor Marina, Tacoma , 17 miles away Day Island Yacht Harbor, Tacoma , 18 miles away   Beaches Near Nisqually River: Caledonia Beach, Pierce , 20 miles away   Hotels Near Nisqually River: Prairie Hotel, Yelm , 11 miles away TownePlace Suites Tacoma Lakewood, Lakewood , 13 miles away Holiday Inn Express & Suites TACOMA SOUTH - LAKEWOOD, Lakewood , 13 miles away Americas Best Value Inn Seattle Tacoma Near JBLM Base, Lakewood , 13 miles away Candlewood Suites LAKEWOOD, Lakewood , 13 miles away   Campgrounds Near Nisqually River: Rainier Villa Mobile Park and RV, Spanaway, 9 miles away Alder Lake - Elk Plain - Tacoma Power, La Grande, 10 miles away Alder Lake - Osprey - Tacoma Power, La Grande, 11 miles away   Public Lands Near Nisqually River: Mount Rainier National Park, Ashford - WA , 33 miles away Ike Kinswa State Park, Washington , 15 miles away Dash Point State Park, Washington , 20 miles away Eagle Island State Park, Washington , 22 miles away   Golf Courses Near Nisqually River: Tanwax Golf Course, Eatonville , 6 miles away Classic Golf Club, Spanaway , 10 miles away Lake Spanaway Golf Course, Spanaway , 10 miles away   Lakes Near Nisqually River Harts Lake, Pierce , 2 miles away Silver Lake, Pierce , 6 miles away Rapjohn Lake, Pierce , 7 miles away