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Sol Duc River Packrafting

Section: FR 2918 Bridge (48.04760, -123.97186) to Riverside (48.06090, -124.13216, road side access). Note that the Riverside access is just west of Riverside Drive on Hwy 101.

Dennis Pennell Dennis Pennell
April 27, 2026
  • Road suitable for all vehicles

  • The route generally runs to the west, somewhat along Hwy 101. But the highway is barely if at all visible from the river except at the two bridges you go under.  There are some houses along sections of the river, but most of the run is a pleasant float through the forest.

Gauge: Station Information. Per American Whitewater the flow was “low runnable”. I agree with that assessment. In places more water would have been very welcome, but in the rapids the water level was near perfect.

Level: about 17.3’

Length: about 11 miles

Easy parking at the put in near the FR 2918 Bridge.

Easy parking at the take-out along Hwy 101 at the Riverside access.

This is a lovely class 2 and class 3 run on the north side of the Olympic Peninsula. Clear water, huge hemlock, fir, and big leaf maple trees line the river. We saw a flock of six beautiful wood ducks and lots of mergansers.

There are lots of class 2 rapids, some of which have significant wood hazards. Good boat control is essential as a swim in the wrong place could easily be deadly. But we did not have to portage any wood hazards.

There are two solid class 3 rapids, both fairly long and very fun.