Humptulips River (East Fork)

FLOW

• NOAA Gauge: HUMPTULIPS − BELOW HIGHWAY 101 NEAR HUMPTULIPS (HMRW1)
• USGS Gauge: Humptulips River Below Hwy 101 NR
• 450 - 600 CFS: low runnable, may need to line boats over a few shallows esp. below 500cfs 
• 600 - 2,000 CFS: prime runnable level
• 2,000 - 5,000 CFS: high runnable, some pushier eddy lines and very fast current in the chutes

PUT INS & take outs

• Narrows Put In:  The uppermost put-in is used for the Narrows Section.  From Humptulips, go north on Highway 101 for 3.2 miles, take a right on Donkey Creek Road, drive 12.9 miles (before the bridge) and go left onto Forest Road 2206. Follow FR 2206 for 3.2 miles and park on the right at a blocked off, overgrown logging road. There is space for 2-3 vehicles. The hike down to the river is about 1/4 mile and starts on the abandoned overgrown road. In a hundred yards it turns into a hard to discern trail. Keep right and follow the game trails down the hillside to the riverbank. 
• Falls Section Put In:  Note: can be used as the take out for the Narrows Section. From Humptulips, go north on Highway 101 for 3.2 miles, take a right on Donkey Creek Road, drive east 12.2 miles to a spur road that leads down to the river. The road ends in 0.4 miles at a nice campsite and river access at a fun rapid. Alternatively, continue on Donkey Creek Road another 1/2 mile to a large pull out by a utility box (447.3271, -123.7335). There is space for 4 to 5 vehicles. There is a use trail to the river and a nice eddy. The walk takes about 1 minute.  
• Gorge Run Put In:  Note: this can also be used as the take-out from the Falls Section, if you are prepared for the long uphill hike out. From Humptulips, go north on Highway 101 for 3.3 miles, take a right on Donkey Creek Road, drive east 9.6 miles to a blocked spur road that leads down to the river. Continue for another 0.1 mile to another blocked off grassy spur road. Park here (47.3117, -123.7747) and hike 2 miles down to the river, dropping 370 feet in elevation. 
• A-Line Bridge Take Out:  From Aberdeen head north on US-101, at mile 108.4 (just south of the US-101 bridge across the East Fork Humptulips River) go right onto East Fork Humptulips Road Exit and follow it 6.5 miles to a split in the road that is gated. The first 3.8 miles is paved. The rest is a well maintained gravel logging road. A-Line Road is the left branch that leads down to the river. Park in a pull out on the right. There is not much room for more than 2 vehicles but there are other pull outs nearby.  It is a 0.6 mile hike up from the river with a gain of 120 feet. 

ON THE WATER

NOTE:  EACH OF THESE SECTIONS CONTAINS COMMITTING GORGES WITH FORMIDABLE CLASS III DROPS WITH NO EASY EVACUATION ROUTES. THIS IS NOT A GOOD CHOICE FOR PADDLERS NEW TO INTERMEDIATE WHITEWATER. 

The Narrows Run

A stunning 4 mile stretch of river carving a deep channel with steep canyon walls on either side and deep blue pools. One of the true gems of the Olympic Peninsula. The first segment is characterized by a meandering channel with some impressive log jams. After the first mile the river squeezes over a boulder-choked ledge and into a canyon at the mouth of Flatbottom Creek. The only possible run through this drop is the fish ladder on river left. From this point down the river is constrained between tight bedrock walls of polished basalt.  About 3 miles into the run Goforth Creek enters as a waterfall on river right and forms one of the most formidable drops on the run. The river opens up a bit after it passes under the bridge. There are a couple more fun rapids before the takeout. In late fall the clear water makes for some great salmon viewing.

The Falls Section

A 5.5 mile section with numerous class III chutes and one mandatory portage. The first small falls comes about one mile into the run. In another mile the next class III falls appears. At about 4 miles into the run, there is one class V drop that is considered a mandatory portage for packrafts. Be careful not to mistake the lead-in to the big drop for the big drop itself. It is possible to run the first big ledge on left of the island, but then it may be too late to eddy out from the big drop. The big drop is about a 5-foot waterfall down a very narrow chute that may be too narrow for a packraft to squeeze down. The pouroff lands in a deep hydraulic and has created a recirculating pool. After "The Falls" the river opens up into a wide river valley for a calmer float to the bridge marking the end of this section. 

The Gorge Run

A 6.2 mile Class III with an outstanding gorge featuring numerous small ledge drops and boulder gardens. The first mile or so is a lazy class II reach. The gorge is marked by the first small ledge drop that can be scouted from shore. There are numerous intermittent ledge drops into deep pools that propel you through narrow gorge walls. In the middle of the gorge the biggest rapid pushes class IV and can be portaged on river left (47.2678, -123.7928). Once the gorge finally opens up, the rest of the run is a mix of class I and class II for 3.5 miles, with one impressive boulder garden and possibly some small play waves. The A-Line Bridge marks the obvious take out. River left there is an old logging road for an easy walk to the road. 

NOTES

• GRADIENT

  • While the average gradient over 16 miles is 23 feet per mile, the gradient for the active whitewater segments is much higher.  In the Gorge Run, for instance, the flatwater section is about 15 fpm, while the whitewater segment is over 60 fpm. 

• reference web pages

  • Humptulips, E. Fork: 1 - FR 2206 access to FR 22 Bridge (Narrows Run)
  • Humptulips, E. Fork: 2 - FR 22 Bridge to Gorge (Falls Section)
  • Humptulips, E. Fork: 3 - Gorge Run downstream to Boise Bridge

• Camping

  • Although there are no managed campgrounds nearby, there are several primitive sites along Donkey Creek Road. The best option, if it is not already taken, is by the put in for the Falls Section. 0.7 miles west of FR-22 Bridge there is a spur road leading to a campsite by the riverside. 
  • Also near the put in for the Falls Section, on the north side of Donkey Creek Road (47.3261, -123.7397), there is a large, flat clearing, that can accommodate 8-10 vehicles. 
  • Closer to Highway 101, about 4 miles up Donkey Creek Road from the highway, just past the bridge over O'Brien Creek, on the north side there is a nice flat clearing for 3-4 vehicles(47.2929, -123.8532). 

• Suitable Activities: Packrafting
• Seasons: Year-round
• Weather: View weather forecast

• Difficulty: Class III River

• Land Manager: Land Manager Varies
• Parking Permit Required: see Land Manager
• Recommended Party Size: 6
• Maximum Party Size: 12
• Maximum Route/Place Capacity: 12