Anticipate wood and come with an exploratory mindset.
Trip Report by Chris Arnold.
Logistics: The most direct route for most paddlers (coming from Portland or Seattle) is to take Highway 530 from I-5 east into Gifford Pinchot National Forest where the road transitions to FR 90 (you can also come in from the Trout Lake side once the road is clear of snow).
The take-out is at mile 32.5 where Quartz Creek enters the North Fork Lewis on river right. This is just above the big drops that await below. It's a hike of a few minutes from the river to the road at this point so many just take out at Roadside, at the bottom of a rapid along the road at FR 90 mile 35.4.
To reach the put-in, head upstream to FR 90 mile 39.1 and take the turn on FR 88 that heads 0.4 mile down to the bridge across the North Fork Lewis. This bridge is at FR 88 mile 22.8.