Paddling in North Columbia Country

Table of Contents

• The Gift: A Tale of Quietwater Canoeing In Northeastern Washington
• Boating the Kettle River
• Kettle River Run
• Paddling the Colville

The Gift: A Tale of Quietwater Canoeing In Northeastern Washington
Photo and article by Rick Lay

I have been canoeing and kayak touring the abundant and varied waters in Northeastern Washington for several years. Rivers and lakes, large and not-so-large, await paddlers of all skill levels. Whether your paddling background has provided wilderness experiences, or the enjoyments of smaller, yet interesting pond paddling, there are paddling environments to satisfy a broad range of interests.

On a spring day a year or so ago I wanted to go canoeing. My equipment for the day was pretty light, but still covered the essentials: lunch, raingear, personal floatation device ( PFD, also known as life jacket), spare paddle, change of dry clothes. You get the picture. My buddy for the trip was Sunny, my yellow Lab. I paddle solo quite a bit, so a good companion is about as indispensable as coffee around the campfire.

Like me, Sunny has her own PFD that goes on before setting foot into the canoe.

Weather in the spring season up here has a rich jumble of goings-on. The day in May I picked for my outing up to Little Twin Lakes, several miles out east of Colville, provided the full range from sun warmth to snow. I like Little Twin. I go paddling there because the place has a charm that smaller lakes have. There is an immediate feeling of intimacy about the place. Two lovely lakes in a mountain setting, the twins, joined by a narrow channel, make for a nice canoe day. Truth is, one of the twins is larger than the other. I like the irregularity of Nature.

I take books along with me on my canoe trips. When I go for a day trip, my canoe outfit contains a mix of fishing stuff, books, binoculars, camera, tarp, ropes, coffee pot. You know the stuff. I keep these things in canoe packs so my outfit is ready to go anytime.

On this trip to Little Twin, I chose to paddle Sparrow, my cedar and canvas canoe. I built her the year before, up in Ontario, Canada. My canoes and kayaks have names. Folklore in the canoeing literature suggests that names "just sort of come along" as you get kinship with your boat. That's pretty much the way it plays out for me.

When I pushed off from shore, all was calm. The clouds were a tad darker. I paddled out into the Little Twins. Me, Sunny, and Sparrow. I worked at not clunking my wood paddle on the gunnels of Sparrow. I worked at keeping down the watery noise from my paddle stroke. My canoeing pals remind me I'll see and hear more wildlife when I paddle quietly. Maybe this trip I'll see a bear along the lakeshore, or a moose. Other lakes I've seen very fresh bear sign. Time passed.

Sunny curled up down low in the boat. The canoe glided quietly to the north. Human powered over-the-water transport. Makes me feel especially alive ... tired and sore sometimes, but always I feel challenged to be fit to paddle my canoe.

The temperature had been dropping a while. Clouds were moving through the area, but nothing panicky. Off Sparrow's bow not far away, the clouds loafed across the sky to the north and east. I kept watch. It was, after all, still early spring here in the mountains of Northeastern Washington. Soon the lake was dimpled with a light rainfall. So light at first it tickled my face.

I swept Sparrow full circle with a few strokes so I could see all around me. She came about so light and nimble. It's not that other canoes don't do this; it's more that this canoe does it so well. Soon Little Twin Lakes was enveloped in a silently falling snow. This was a new paddling experience for me. I thought to myself how fine this was, still having new and first-time experiences. These pleasant moments were made more so when I became aware of how quiet it was. I had been more focused on my weather watch than I realized. Once I was fairly certain the changing weather posed no threat, only then did I take notice of the cloak of silence. Solitude. It's not a given. You don't get it every time you go.

So there we were ... out on a spring day in May canoeing the quiet water of the Little Twins. Me, Sunny, and Sparrow. In the silently falling snow. Enjoying the gift.

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Boating the Kettle River
by Steve Rumsey

Guys in the big power boats roar up and down Lake Roosevelt looking for the big fish or pulling skiers. Couples in sailboats glide across that lake, cutting huge zigzags south of the Kettle Marina. Fishermen troll the smaller lakes in their determined quest for trout. But for human-powered boats, the Kettle River is a favorite around here for its great paddling, tubing, and fishing in a scenic valley setting.

The Kettle starts in British Columbia, drops across the border to arc down toward Curlew Lake, then heads back north again to recross the border at Danville. It makes another arc, southerly this time, and recrosses into Washington again at Laurier. From there it's a 22 mile straight shot south to Kamloops Island where the Kettle dumps into the Columbia.

There are nice stretches in the Curlew area for fishing and small boats. But the most popular stretches lie on the lower sections of the Kettle, especially from Orient south. Here, boaters find long, lazy runs punctuated by mild, Class II rapids. Birds are abundant and the steep hillsides are well forested and home to wildflowers of all descriptions. And, of course, the river is a great place to fly fish or to drop bait into any of a number of deep holes.

An easy place to put in is just north of the bridge at Orient. In normal water, that is after the runoff, it's a three hour run down to "I" Beach, a wide, unmarked beach and favored picnic area a mile south of the spot where Deep Creek pours into the Kettle. From "I" Beach down to Barstow is another three hour run. From Barstow to the Kettle River Campground or to Kamloops Campground further south, the going gets very slow, since there you encounter the backwaters of Lake Roosevelt. Only during a drawdown does the Kettle run free all the way to its confluence with the Columbia. This spring, of course, was just such a time, so fans of Kettle River boating made sure they got in a quick trip just to see the river in its natural state.

One hazard boaters must beware of is The Gorge between "I" Beach and Barstow. The valley suddenly narrows and the river shoots through a short, twisting gorge which is safely run only by experienced kayakers. Fortunately, the gorge is easy to spot and there's an easy takeout on the left with a short portage. Watch for the powerlines which cross the canyon just before you reach the gorge and a wooden sign on the left which warns of danger. Get out on the left where the river makes its first bend to the right and walk your boats downstream past the rapids. Play it safe and avoid the risk of accidents.

The Kettle gets its runoff around May and early June, because the headwaters are so high that the snow which feeds the river is late to melt. During the high runoff, the river runs wide and fast and covers the small rapids which make the river so fun later in the year. Those conditions, plus debris which can sweep down the river during runoff, make the river less fun and more of a risk. Boating during runoff is never recommended for the inexperienced.

But during those hot July and August days, there's no place like the Kettle for a day's fun on the river. So grab your boat and paddles and hit the water for an experience you won't soon forget. And don't forget your life jacket!

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Kettle River Run
by Leopold Hayden Powell

Riverrun, past Eve and Adam's, from swerve of shore to bend of bay...
Finnegan's Wake, James Joyce 1939

As the Kettle River flows south, east, north and back, crossing the International Boundry three times, it is nearly as convoluted as Joyce's enigmatic novel. There is no confusion, however, about the run of the river from Ferry to Danville being a fine and comfortable paddle trip. The river is hospitable to novice paddlers, and the scenery is an inspiration to anyone.

Before you go, check the flow of the river at http://wa.water.usgs.gov/rt-cgi/gen_stn_pg?station=12401500 which will link you to the stream gage that is near the Ferry, Washington, border crossing. At less than 2,500 CF/S you will be scraping across many of the gravel bars. When the flow is more than 6,000 some of the bends become too powerful to be safe for less experienced paddlers.

Gages like this one were established on streams across the United States, staring in 1876, by the U. S. Geological Survey. The gages measure the level (stage) of the river. From time to time, technicians measure the current, speed and shape of the channel. The relationship allows a direct calculation from the level to the amount of water moving, as cubic feet per second (discharge-Q) . Even though explorer and scientist John Wesley Powell was a visionary, he could not have imagined that the gaging system he established would be read by way of satellite links to offices and homes. After Major Powell lost an arm in the battle for Shilo, he went on to explore the Colorado River and set a standard in the Federal Government for reliable water information and superb maps.

The most popular launching point is at the Toroda Bridge, near the Job Corps Center. Put in from the left bank (looking downstream, yes, that's how the arts district of Paris was named). There are also good put-ins at the cattle guard, 1.6 miles up the Kroupa Road and at the Beal Park, on the West Kettle River Road. The ideal take-out point is on the right bank at the Lone Ranch Road Bridge. There is parking available at the Lone Ranch Park, along Highway 21. You can also take out at the Danville bridge or stop for rest at the Swimming Hole Park in the town of Curlew.

Along the first five miles of the trip, from Toroda, the river and its terraces are under cliffs of gneiss and schist that formed at the roots of the Kettle and Okanogan Mountains. The "U" shaped canyon was carved in the hard rock by a glacier tongue of the continental ice sheet more than 20,000 years ago. The valley widens as we go, and the cottonwoods that cling to the bank shelter great blue herrons and belted kingfishers that search the river for fish and frogs. A few cobble bars are scattered with shrubby willows that lean downstream. These willows are inundated by the flood nearly every spring, but they are adapted to hold tightly and regrow quickly. About a quarter of the banks would be of this "willow-cobble riparian" in a natural condition. Road banks and other structures speed the river's energy and starve the river for gravel. The river responds by deepening its channel and carving steep banks in the sand and silt that it deposited ages ago.

Below Curlew the character of the river changes. In some of the bends, the waters swirl against limestone and argillite that were the floor of the sea, 250 million years ago. The cliffs are close because this valley was carved into a deep "V" by melt water when the valleys of the upper Kettle and the Columbia were blocked with glacier ice. With less room for human intervention, the river's own work is showing. Inside the bends, gravel bars are topped with driftwood (point bars). Backwaters, floating with duckweed and edged with reeds, are separated from the current by cottonwood forests on the natural levees. Watch for river otters and their slides down the banks. Black bears come down, on the warmer days, to swim and dig for cattail roots.

Join me in honoring and treasuring this river.

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Paddling the Colville
by Steve Rumsey

For a good place to warm up for the more strenuous paddling of bigger water and to practice your basic skills, canoeists and kayakers should check out the Colville River, a sweet little river running through a pretty valley that supports lots of interesting bird life. On a recent Sunday afternoon, three of us had a great 3 hour paddle from Addy to the radio station south of Colville, which we enjoyed quite a bit and which gave us some early season practice.

There is an easy put-in at the bridge in Addy, and from there the river meanders through pasture-land and cottonwoods. The water moved at a good pace as the river made gentle swings left and right one right after another. We got some good practice maneuvering around the logs which have fallen into the river, but didn't worry if we spilled because the water is mostly shallow and the banks are never far away (though we didn't spill once on this trip, thankfully). We had plenty of time to rubber-neck at the scenery and saw lots of waterfowl and a couple of bald eagles.

The trip provided two kinds of paddling, and we came to a log jam that spanned the river which seemed to mark the boundary between them. Up to the log jam, we found tight turns and frequent debris, while below it, we enjoyed slower turns and less debris. Fortunately, there is an easy takeout on the left bank that makes a short portage around the log jam a snap.

The lower stretch seemed lazier and provided more time to enjoy the mountains in the distance and the wildlife near shore. Near the take-out we encountered another log jam across the river. This one we could bump over, as the water ran higher than usual the day we paddled. Later in the year, we'd have gotten out and walked the canoe over the jam, something that wouldn't be too difficult although the banks are steep right there.

We saw only a few people fishing the entire trip, and but for a short stretch that is near the highway and a couple of bridges, we scarcely noticed that we were in a populated valley. It's a great little run, especially as a training run to practice your moves. The Colville has a reputation among locals as being an easy place to dump your canoe because of the sharp turns, but during normal summer flows on a warm day, an unplanned dip in the river should only be a mild inconvenience.

I wouldn't recommend that kids or rank amateurs do it alone, but we are beginners with just a little moving water experience, and we quite enjoyed it, and so did our boating buddy, who is an advanced kayaker. So, whether you're paddling, fishing, or just lazing in the sun, don't overlook this fun little run. And don't forget your life jacket!

Getting There: Turn west off Highway 395 in Addy at the lumber mill and park at the turnout by the bridge. Take out either at the bridge near the radio station or a mile further on at Oakshott Road.

Other Stretches of the Colville:

The section of the Colville River from Colville downstream to Kettle Falls is heavily channelized and runs through cow country. Occasional fences span the river and the competition with cows both make this stretch less appealing. Plus, there's a large log jam not too far past the drive-in theater which is a real drag. Nearer Kettle Falls, paddling gets slow when you reach the backwaters of Meyers Falls.

However, the stretch from below Meyers Falls (near Kettle Falls) to the confluence at Lake Roosevelt is a whopping good run if you're up for more of a challenge. Just beware of the weir about midway -- it's treacherous. Portage around it on the left bank. More on that run in another issue.

(Thanks to Fred Perry for providing photos of Kettle Falls Troop 965 who paddled the Columbia River from Arrow Lake in British Columbia to the Old Mission near Kettle Falls during the summer of 1997. This stretch of the trip was just south of Northport heading in to the Little Dalles.)

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North Columbia Recreation
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