Intro
An easy (if not very interesting) class 1 paddle of approximately 11 miles. There are a few riffles but not many and nothing major. Normal caution should be taken about wood along the edges in the few faster sections, and logjams are a possibility as always, but this is probably a good training trip for most beginner paddlers. It is generally slow. It is also not especially interesting: the current is slow, and high, featureless banks in farm country means there is not much to see.
I paddled this section several years ago, and did the bike shuttle via W Snoqualmie River Road, W River Road, and 202 for a short section. I launched from the west side of the 202 bridge over the Snoqualmie; it would probably have been better to launch from the boat launch a bit to the east, though that would have extended the bike shuttle a little. Most of the shuttle was quite pleasant; Snoqualmie Valley Trail would have been another shuttle option.
Details
- Distance: Appx. 11 miles
- Rating: Class 1
- Recommended flows: ???
- Average historical flows are a bit under 2600 cfs according to thePaddling Washington book mentioned under Resources
- Suitable for: most kayaks (maybe not a fiberglass boat)
- Hazards: Normal wood along the edges and usual risk of logjams
- Resources:
- Launch Points:
- Float Snoqualmie float info
- Side note: Part of the year there’s a commercial shuttle service for the segment above this one (from just below Snoqualmie Falls to Fall City: Fall City Floating (which is mostly geared towards people tubing that section, and which also rents tubes).
- Zurfleugh Boat Launch
- Boat launch: yes
- Facilities: port-a-potty?
- Fees and passes: Discover Pass required?
- Description from paddling.com
- Fall City Community Park
- According to Float Snoqualmie, there’s a trail on river right immediately downstream of the 202 bridge, which leads to ample parking. I have not explored this. They describe it as an exit point for floaters, but presumably it would work as well for those who want to launch from here.
- Under the 202 bridge in Fall City
- I don’t see anyone else listing this as a potential launch or take-out point. There is a little grassy bank here with a dirt road which pedestrians use to get to the bridge. This is where I launched from, not knowing the other options. I locked my kayak to a power pole here then biked back to it after dropping off my car at the take-out point, then locked my bike to the power pole.
- Plum Boat Launch
- This adds a few miles and a few riffles to the trip, and requires more elevation for a bike shuttle. It doesn’t add a great deal of excitement, and the shorter route is probably long and slow enough already for most paddlers.
- Float Snoqualmie float info
- Take-out point: Snoqualmie/Lower Tolt River Boat Launch (Carnation)
- Boat launch: yes
- Facilities: none
- Fees / passes required: none
- Next river section: Tolt River Confluence to Taylor Landing
- Bike shuttle: Appx. 8 miles; estimated 40 minutes