Help Us Understand Boating on the Lower Chiwawa River (WA)

Do you paddle the Lower Chiwawa River outside of Leavenworth, WA? Your input is needed.

Chelan County has launched a survey to better understand how people use the Lower Chiwawa River for recreation–especially whitewater boating. The survey will help project planners and land managers determine whether and how the river is being used by kayakers, rafters, and other river users, and how future restoration and development efforts might support or impact access and navigation.

If you’ve ever floated the Lower Chiwawa River, anywhere from Huckleberry Campground to the confluence with Wenatchee River, or even just thought about paddling it—your voice is needed.

https://form.typeform.com/to/zMpYjArX 

The survey is part of a broader effort to guide upcoming floodplain and salmon habitat restoration projects in the Lower Chiwawa corridor. Chelan County has already begun design work on multiple projects along this reach, and this input will help ensure that recreational boaters are included in that process.

The County is seeking information on use patterns, access needs, and the overall importance of the Lower Chiwawa as a recreational river.

If boaters don’t take the time to respond, there’s a real chance this stretch of river will be seen as unused and unvalued by the paddling community. Your voice helps show that people care about this place—and want to see it protected and considered in future decisions.

Whether you’re a kayaker, rafter, packrafter, or just someone who loves seeing wild rivers stay wild, your input helps us document how this river is used—and who cares about it. Even if you've never paddled it, but would if you knew more—that’s worth telling us too.

The survey is short, easy, and open to anyone who’s boated or explored this river—or might in the future. Help us keep the Lower Chiwawa a place for thoughtful restoration and outdoor recreation.

Chiwawa AW Page: https://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/River/view/river-detail/2087/main