Skykomish River
Index to Gold Bar, Class V
8.5 miles - 4.5 hours, April - July

Adventurous, outdoorsy, recreationally inclined thrill seekers only! The Skykomish River is the "Big Daddy" of Washington State whitewater runs. Cascading to the coast from Steven's Pass, the Sky tumbles you through a relentless series of rapids then spits you into the fabled "Boulder Drop." Prepare to get wet! Previous experience is highly recommended and your guides need for you listen and respond to their paddle commands and aggressively help paddle and power your raft. Due to the difficulty of this river only an small select group of our raft guides, known for decades as the “Sky Pilots”, have the qualifications to guide this river. Bear in mind that a Class 5 requires the greatest amount of technical maneuvers and navigating to safely get through the rapid the there is the greatest risk of any river rafted. This means you may find yourself being dumped overboard into the river or your raft may flip so you may swim part of the trip! We limit the number of guests on the Skykomish River so reserve and confirm your group as early as possible to guarantee your trip date.

Reserve this river now!

Skykomish River Rendezvous Instructions

Where to Meet:
Your guides will meet you 1.6 miles east of the Town of Goldbar on State Highway 2 at the Skykomish River Dept of Fish and Game river access. This is located between Milepost 30 and 31 on Highway 2 and just next to the bridge on the east side of the river. Allow 1 1/4 hours to drive from the downtown Seattle area to our meeting site. Turn right 150 feet after crossing the bridge. Drive into and through the gravel parking lot and down close to the river and look for the River Rider guides and the van and/or bus. Use a Washington State road map to help direct you to the rendezvous. We’ll have your wetsuit/booties waiting for you from our “rolling rental shop” (no presizing needed!) so just show up with a swimsuit or T-shirt/running shorts (something that can get wet) under your street clothes and we’ll take care of you from there when you get signed in.

Please note: We do not provide lunch on the Skykomish River.

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