3. Buckley to Auburn (Lower)

This is one of the most remote river corridors in the Puget Sound lowlands and one of the few places with more than 10 miles of river uninterrupted by any bridges or riverside development. A few houses are visible high atop the bluffs but otherwise the river is the domain of fish, wildlife, and birds. This legacy of a protected river corridor is the result of the lands being owned by Puget Sound Energy, and efforts are underway to conserve this undeveloped river corridor for future generations. As a whitewater run the best rapids come in the first 1/3 of the run with plenty of fun class II rapids. Towards the middle 1/3 of the run the river spreads out into channels that shift from year to year along with wood hazards. Because of this wood hazard this is not the best beginner run and you can expect to portage a couple times. The final 1/3 of the run has a slightly more defined channel and some rapids but not quite as frequent as at the start. All along the run high bluffs of glacial outwash sediments record the geologic history of this river valley.