Spokane River Paddle Tour (Harvard Road To Plantes Ferry)

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Distance: 8 miles

Difficulty: Difficult

Paddling time: 1 to 3 hours

Season: Virtually year-round

Maps: USGS Spokane NE, and Spokane River Centennial Trail map

Info: Washington Water Power river flow recording, 482-8043.

PADDLING TRIP NOTES

Access: Put-in: From Interstate 90 east of Spokane, take Liberty Lake exit 296. At intersection, turn north on Harvard Road. Cross Spokane River bridge. Immediately turn left into access site.

Take-out: From I-90, take Sullivan Road exit 291 and head north on Sullivan. After crossing over Highway 290 (Trent Avenue), turn left (west) on Wellesley Avenue. Plante’s Ferry County Park begins where Wellesley bends left and becomes Upriver Drive. Take-out is just west of main park entrance. To extend paddle trip, drive short way farther west on Upriver Drive to Centennial Trail bridge access. The only good take-out is on river left. Boats must be carried across bridge to parking area.

To reach take-out from Argonne Road, drive 2.2 miles east on Upriver Drive to Plante’s Ferry Park.

Optional access: Trip can be shortened by putting in or taking out at Sullivan Road. From I-90, take Sullivan Road exit 291. Turn north on Sullivan, cross Spokane River bridge and immediately turn right on Flora Pit Road. Parking limited. Access requires portage between parking area and river.

Attractions: Easy access from I-90 paves way for quick but satisfying paddle trip - even after work. This stretch of upper Spokane River is more adventurous than others found up- or downstream. But it also requires more savvy because of Flora and Sullivan rapids, both Class 2 and capable of swamping careless paddlers. Route follows second leg of course for marathon and relay boaters in Spokane River Canoe Classic held in June. Shuttle 9 miles.

Hazards: Bridge abutments. Powerful eddies and turbulence in high water. Exiting river dangerous and difficult in high flows above 18,000 cfs. Two Class 2 rapids. Boulders and strong eddylines.

Comments: Spokane County law requires life jackets to be worn by anyone floating Spokane River, even innertubers.

Use common sense in steering clear of hazards posed by bridge abutments. Expect turbulence.

Flow rates are very important for this section of river because of changes they make in rapids. Experience is best teacher, but here are general guidelines.

Summer flows below roughly 6,000 cubic feet per second create technical paddling through rock garden at Flora Rapids. But skilled paddlers can negotiate rocks even at 2,000 cfs because current less pushy, more conducive to maneuvers.

Rapids virtually wash out at flows above 15,000 cfs, but large standing waves will be waiting.

Sullivan Rapids attracts kayaks and play boats in any flow below 20,000 cfs, but most play-boat paddlers simply come upstream from Sullivan or Flora roads in very low flows.

Below 6,000 cfs, water warms to prime swimming temperatures.

Above roughly 22,000 cfs, water gets into brush along shore. To eddy out puts paddlers in dangerous proximity of brush and trees. Hydraulics become powerful. Mistakes in strong current of this high, cold water can be disastrous.

Once through Flora Rapids, watch for big hole on river right at Sullivan Rapids. Tentative paddlers may want to take fairly easy tongue leading through left-center of rapid. Below Sullivan Rapids, keep to center to avoid hole and rocks on river left.

Some riffles as well as strong eddies on river left provide only excitement downstream from Sullivan Road until old Walk in Wild Zoo site. Area recognizable by fascinating rock formations sloping down to bend on river left. Just beyond big eddy at bend, kayakers like to play in unusual hole. At flows above about 20,000 cfs, hole grows to crescendo for several seconds, then fades away to nothing, sort of like Old Faithful Geyser.

Take-out for Canoe Classic at Plante’s Ferry Park, where nice eddy greets paddlers at dirt ramp.

Paddlers can enjoy another riffle and scenic boulder field (turbulent in high flows) below Riblet Mansion by floating another half mile to take-out at Centennial Trail bridge. This is last riffle before hitting slack water behind Upriver Dam. However, take-out not as convenient as ramp at Plante’s Ferry.

Some public land borders river, most notably along Centennial Trail on south shore. But consider other land above high water mark to be private.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Map: Spokane River Paddle Tour (Harvard Road to Plante’s Ferry)

The following fields overflowed: SUPCAT = COLUMN - Routes: Classic trips in the Inland Northwest