Paddling Washington: 100 Flatwater and Whitewater Routes in Washington State and the Inland Northwest

This is a really great book. I recently moved to Washington and was a whitewater raft guide in Colorado. I bought a raft and wanted to go on some trips, but didn't know anything about the rivers in the area. A google search did little to help, and I could not find the information I needed to safely float the rivers. This book is amazing- it has a great river map that shows put ins and take outs, as well as any major features on the river. It also gives a great description of the route, what to expect, the best time of year to go, average water flow, and all the other little things that a river rat needs to know.Most of the trips are flat water- class I-II (the authors spent most of their time in a canoe), but there is a small selection of white water trips as well. Its everything you need to plan an awesome trip!

This multi-author work mentions just about every stream in Washington state and gives some estimate of difficulty of each section. I have found numerous inaccuracies. Check for yourself the location and condition of put-ins and take-outs, because many which the authors suggest, don't exist. The Sauk River access from/to Sauk Park, for example, is at the bottom of a 25 foot vertical cliff; and forget about finding or using Gilligan Creek. From the Sauk River to Conway there's only one south side access, which is at Presenten Creek, with OK off-highway parking and a rough carry through blackberry bushes to a small gravel beach. The North side of the river is better equipped with launch and take out sites.

Why only four stars? Because "love" and words like "awesome" are words I don't use to describe much of anything. Hyperbole. "Great" is another.I found the book an excellent source for finding the kind of canoe paddling that my wife and I do: flatwater.(By way of background, we have canoed in Ontario and in the Boundary Waters and British Columbia. We own a Langford Explorer Kevlar canoe, which I don't want to bang up on rivers. I also don't like the trouble of shuttles, hence, flatwater.)

Having done two of the routes described in this book (Ross Lake and the Yakima River Canyon), I have mixed feelings:On one hand, there is a lot of useful information in this book (e.g. which sections of which rivers are most suitable for paddling, and at what water levels).On the other hand, the description for Ross Lake wasn't very detailed (e.g. no mention of the one-mile lake access trail), and the map for the Yakima River Canyon route had the take-out site a mile downstream of the actual location.There does not appear to be a website for submitting and viewing errata for this book.Also, given that most of the routes in this book are on rivers and require a shuttle, a list of reliable shuttle companies would have been a plus.

This is just what I was looking for, a comprehensive book for anyone who wants to paddle rivers and lakes in Washington. I have an older book with some of the same information, but this is recently updated with locations of put-ins and take-outs. Good maps and nice details on what to watch out for.

I bought this book to help in figuring out where in Washington I could do longer SUP trips. So far the paddle times are spot on for paddle boards as well as kayaks and canoes. Great book for planning any river trip!

Just as promised, it’s an excellent resource for areas to paddle in Washington.

Well received by recipient - good condition!