Trip Report
White River: Middle Reach
At 1,030 CFS a fun outing worth repeating. Much more action than Lower White. We had the added bonus of spotting a UFO in the form of a white orb hovering over the ridge as we approached Greenwater.
Logan DeGrand
- Sat, Apr 27, 2024
- White River: Middle Reach
- Packrafting
- Successful
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- Road suitable for all vehicles
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The flow was 1,030 CFS. It was a fine level, on the low end but very little scraping. The biggest challenge was reading the braids and taking care on the blind corners to avoid wood-blocked channels. Weather was in the 40's and some rain. No better way to enjoy the outdoors than in a drysuit on a river.
For our group of 5 packrafts, the run took 3:10 on the water including a couple short snack breaks. We had one portage, which came early at 0.7 miles from the bridge, just before the confluence with West Fork. The river is narrow here. We assume this is Huckleberry Rapid, the only named rapid on the run.
After the confluence, the river almost doubles in volume. There is a bridge at 2.1 miles. It's very fun up to Greenwater, with brief flat sections to relax. After Greenwater it gets wider and meanders. I would not want to extend this run past MM 38.3.
This reach was a first for all in our group so there was the added excitement of the novelty. For one it was the first time on a class III river, or was it? While there were no obvious class III rapids, we opined that the class III rating was due to the consequences of potential strainers, as there was tons of wood along the way, blind corners, and some long bumpy rapids and wave trains that are burly for class II. This certainly wet our appetite to run the Upper reach of the White. I much prefer this run to the Lower White, which is sleepy by comparison.