What to Expect on Your Wenatchee River Trip

We meet alongside the Wenatchee River at Riverside Park (directions) in the city of Cashmere, the geographic center of the state. This is also where our rafting trip ends. The large, open grass fields, picnic tables, playground, and sounds of the Wenatchee River make Riverside Park a great place to relax. There are restrooms and changing facilities. Here you’ll meet your rafting guides and choose the perfect size for your wetsuit (wetsuits become optional in July when the temperatures are in the 90's) and other gear. You’ll enjoy a light snack as you prepare for the day. Then it’s time to get onboard the shuttle to head up river to where our Wenatchee River rafting trip begins.

For full-day trips at higer water levels, we start up river of Leavenworth in a semi-private, open field, where the picturesque Icicle Creek calmly joins the Wenatchee River (at low water levels, often in July and August, we move our starting point further down stream to avoid the rockier areas that appear at those lower levels). Deer can often been seen grazing in this field while ospreys ride the air currents above. Here your guides will spend time instructing you on what you’ll need to know for your rafting trip and then it’s time launch our rafts into the Wenatchee River.

The first part of your Wenatchee rafting trip will take you through the beautiful and authentically recreated Bavarian town of Leavenworth. Ringed by dramatic mountains, the Leavenworth valley truly looks like the German Alps, with the lush vegetation and numerous apple orchards. Here the river flows calmly, offering an opportunity to enjoy the breathtaking scenery. (Leavenworth is also a great place to spend the evening after your trip!)

Once through the town of Leavenworth, though, the Wenatchee River accelerates into the rollercoaster waves of Chumstick Canyon, followed directly by the powerful and technical Boulder Garden.

At lower water levels, our full-day trips start at the Rock Garden, just before the Peshastin Flats. Here we have plenty of time to play games swim and waterfight. Next comes Rock’n’Roll, with its legendary Satan’s Eyeball. We then approach the dam. We pull over to the side as portaging the rafts is mandatory. This makes for a nice break before you continue into the Wenatchee's best whitewater of the day.

Half-day trips start at the dam. From the here, the excitement begins immediately as you launch directly into Upper Gorilla, filled with lots of fun waves. A few rapids later is Rodeo Hole, where you’ll often see colorful kayakers showing off their moves - this is a favorite play spot for kayakers on the Wenatchee River. Soon you’ll be upon Drunkards Drop, a great wall of green and white water with waves up to 16ft high! The finale is the sandstone blaster ledges of Snowblind, the massive waves of Granny Rapids, and the awesome whitewater of Suffocator.

Our trip ends at Riverside Park, where you’ll change into dry clothes, load up your plate at our Steak BBQ, and relive your river rafting trip viewing photos from the day and laughing about the highlights of the day with your guides. There’s plenty of time and open space for Frisbee, soccer, flying kites, and most anything else you can think of doing in a large, open, green grass field.

We’ll Gladly Help You Plan Your Wenatchee River Raft Trip

Whether it’s what to bring or where to stay for your Wenatchee River rafting trip, we can answer all your questions and help you plan the perfect adventure. Feel free to email us at rafting@blueskyoutfitters.com, give us a call at (800) 228-RAFT (7238).

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Or, if you'd prefer, feel free to give us a call at (206)938-4030 or (800)228-RAFT or send us an email. We'd be happy to help you plan the perfect trip.