People used to run the Chiwawa all the time, but it seems to have fallen into disuse for some reason. I was prepared to do an easy run on the Upper Wenatchee (class II section) when someone suggested that we run the Chiwawa. I had been wanting to run the Chiwawa for years. The rain almost stopped us, but a group of boaters stepped up and we were off.
The logistical information we had was old, and it made things interesting. We took a wrong turn going to the put-in (onto a section of road that probably didn't exist when the guides were written). Then, we found that the lower takeout was no longer available and we had to go to the upper takeout.
When we got onto the river, I was expecting a much more difficult run. The Chiwawa is continuous class II with occasional class III boulder gardens. There were a few minor log hazards, but we never had to portage. We had a perfect level for a first run. The only negative for me was that we weren't sure about the logs, so we had to be careful. This would be an ideal section of river to do twice in a weekend, or after someone else scouted it for wood.
The takeout was fine - easy for kayaks and not terribly hard for rafts. I will definitely be back for another round on this river.
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