Little White Salmon River
| Little White Salmon River | |
|---|---|
Fish hatchery and log flume, 1898 | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
| County | Skamania, Klickitat |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Monte Cristo Range of the Cascade Range |
| • location | Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Klickitat County |
| • coordinates | 45°55′07″N 121°35′52″W / 45.91861°N 121.59778°W |
| • elevation | 3,384 ft (1,031 m) |
| Mouth | Columbia River |
• location | Drano Lake of the Bonneville Pool, Skamania County |
• coordinates | 45°43′14″N 121°38′25″W / 45.72056°N 121.64028°W |
• elevation | 98 ft (30 m) |
| Length | 19 mi (31 km) |
| Basin size | 136 sq mi (350 km2) |
The Little White Salmon River is a tributary, about 19 miles (31 km) long, of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington. Its headwaters are in the Monte Cristo Range in Gifford Pinchot National Forest. The river flows from this part of the Cascade Range into Drano Lake, an arm of the Bonneville Pool of the Columbia. The river drains a basin of 136 square miles (350 km2) The basin's population was an estimated 513 in 2000.
Whitewater kayaking experts sometimes run a 4-mile (6.4 km) stretch of rapids in a steep canyon between the Cook–Underwood Road bridge and Drano Lake. The run, dangerous throughout, is rated Class V (extremely difficult) on the International Scale of River Difficulty. Named rapids include Gettin' Busy, Boulder Sluice, Island, Sacriledge, Double Drop, Backender, S-Turn, Wishbone, Bowey's Hotel, The Gorge, Stovepipe, Spirit Falls, Chaos and Master Blaster. The river has been the scene of two kayaking deaths since this stretch was first run in the 1990s.