Flatwater Packraft - Skykomish River: Sultan to Monroe

Query:  is this a good river section for the flatwater packrafting river day?

Answer:  No, not the whole section. It is nearly 10 miles of paddling, which is too much for a course. further, there are several sections of fast water.  They are not quite class 2 but do require some boat handling.  We are not sure exactly where the boundary between flatwater and whitewater should be.  This could be a Class 1+ river trip but would not be suitable for people who really only want to paddle still water.

However, there is a boat launch about 3 miles up stream from the Monroe takeout.  This three miles section is a good candidate for a class trip.  It starts with easy paddling  - rather lake-like. Good for skill practice.  It finishes with two faster moving drops.  Both are easy in packrafts.  The paddler hardly needs do anything but ride down the drop.  These will be good for paddlers who lack confidence.  The first of the drops can be yo-yoed.  That is, you can run it, take out, carry up, and put back in.  There is significant benefit to the opportunity to run the same section a couple times.  And to watching how other people run a section.