Tieton River offers one last rush of whitewater thrills

Whitewater enthusiasts are expecting a warm welcome from Washington’s Tieton River along US 12 west of Yakima this weekend.

A large gathering of rafters and kayakers – private and commercial – is gearing up from across the region to take advantage of the annual “flip-flop.” 

The annual September release of water that’s been warming all summer in Rimrock Lake has begun in order to feed water to downstream crop irrigation and boost salmon spawning.

The “flip-flop” term comes from the switch in irrigation sources as the increased water down the Tieton helps make up for the annual reduction of releases from reservoirs feeding the Yakima River.

The result is an opportunity for great whitewater boating in the month of September. Flows in most other streams have been too low since July.  

By the way, if you’re an angler, the flip-flop spells the beginning of good fall trout fishing in the Yakima.

Boaters will come in droves to go with the flow from launch sites below Tieton Dam. The river runs down the generally sunny east slope of the Cascades.

Flows of 1,000 cubic feet per second to 3,000 cfs are considered ideal in the Tieton, which hit the 1,000 cfs mark on Aug. 28 and exceeded 2,000 cfs on Tuesday.

Runs of up to 15 miles that have been too rocky and bumpy to boat this summer will fill with rushing water, ushering rafts and kayaks through almost continuous Class II to III rapids before the Tieton flows into the Naches River.

The river has a steep gradient, dropping 58 feet per mile. The Tieton is not considered to be great for novice boaters because of its steady rush of whitewater.

Since summer heat has dried up most of the region’s whitewater for the season, many river runners consider the Tieton River the last summer run.