Sportsmans Access on the Wenatchee River
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
SPORTSMANS ACCESS ON THE WENATCHEE RIVER Final ROCKY REACH HYDROELECTRIC PROJECT FERC Project No. 2145 December 15, 2000 (Revised July 27, 2001) Prepared by: BioAnalysts, Inc. Boise, Idaho Prepared for: Public Utility District No. 1 of Chelan County Wenatchee, Washington Sportsmans Access TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................... 1 SECTION 2: WENATCHEE FISHERIES........................................................................................ 2 2.1 Spring Chinook Salmon................................................................................................................................. 2 2.2 Summer Steelhead ......................................................................................................................................... 2 2.3 Sockeye Salmon ............................................................................................................................................ 2 2.4 Resident Trout ............................................................................................................................................... 2 2.5 Whitefish ....................................................................................................................................................... 2 SECTION 3: WENATCHEE ACCESS............................................................................................ 4 3.1 Reach 4: Lake Wenatchee to Tumwater Canyon (RM 54.1-35.8)................................................................. 5 3.2 Reach 3: Tumwater Canyon (RM 35.8-27.0) ................................................................................................ 5 3.3 Reach 2: Leavenworth to Cashmere (RM 27.0-10.0) .................................................................................... 5 3.4 Reach 1: Cashmere to Mouth (RM 10.0-0.0) ................................................................................................ 6 SECTION 4: RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................................. 9 SECTION 5: REFERENCES ........................................................................................................ 10 LIST OF TABLES Table 3-1: Description of location for each access, portages or dam site on the Wenatchee River. ............................. 4 Table 3-2: Summary of conditions for access points, dams and portages on the Wenatchee River. ............................. 7 Table 3-3: Summary of International River Classification System used to describe the difficulty and skill level needed for boaters to float a portion of stream (from North 1992)...................................................................... 8 Final Study Report Rocky Reach Project No. 2145 December 15, 2000 (Revised July 27, 2001) Page i SS/2519 Sportsmans Access APPENDIX A: FIGURES Figure 5-1: Access points in Reach 4 of the Wenatchee River.................................................................................. A-1 Figure 5-2: Unpaved access site [24] located at Glacier View Campground on the south side of Lake Wenatchee .............................................................................................................................................. A-3 Figure 5-3: Improved access site [23] at Wenatchee State Park located at RM 54.1 on the Wenatchee River......... A-4 Figure 5-4: Unimproved access site [22] located at Highway 207 Bridge at RM 53.7 on the Wenatchee River. Both sides of the river are used for launching rafts, kayaks and canoes. ..................................... A-5 Figure 5-5: Unimproved access site [21] just upstream of Highway 209 Bridge located at RM46.4 on the Wenatchee River near the confluence of Beaver Creek. ........................................................................ A-6 Figure 5-6: Unimproved access site [20] upstream from railroad bridge crossing located at RM 41.9 on the Wenatchee River .................................................................................................................................... A-7 Figure 5-7: Location of Tumwater Campground (19) and Tumwater Dam in Reach 3 of the Wenatchee River....................................................................................................................................................... A-9 Figure 5-8: Unimproved access site [19] at Tumwater Campground located at RM 35.6 on the Wenatchee River..................................................................................................................................................... A-11 Figure 5-9: Location of access points on the Wenatchee River in Reach 2............................................................. A-13 Figure 5-10: Unimproved access site [14] at Enchantment City Park located at RM 25.0 on the Wenatchee River................................................................................................................................................... A-15 Figure 5-11: Improved access site [07] at Riverside Park in Cashmere located at RM 10.0 on the Wenatchee River................................................................................................................................................... A-16 Figure 5-12: Unimproved take out site [11] just upstream from Dryden Dam located at RM 17.8 on the Wenatchee River. ............................................................................................................................... A-17 Figure 5-13: Unimproved launch site [11] downstream from Dryden Dam located at RM 17.8 on the Wenatchee River. ............................................................................................................................... A-18 Figure 5-14: Improved access site [15] located at RM 2.7 on Icicle Creek. ........................................................... A-19 Figure 5-15: Unimproved access site [15] located at RM 2.7 on Icicle Creek........................................................ A-20 Figure 5-16: Improved access site [13] located at RM 24.7 on the Wenatchee River. ........................................... A-21 Figure 5-17: Unimproved access site [17] located just downstream of Icicle Creek Bridge at RM 26.3 on the Wenatchee River. ............................................................................................................................... A-22 Figure 5-18: Unimproved access site [16] located at RM 25.9 on the Wenatchee River........................................ A-23 Figure 5-19: Unimproved access site [12] at Highway 2 pull off located at RM 21.3 on the Wenatchee River................................................................................................................................................... A-24 Figure 5-20: Unimproved access site [10] located at RM 15.3 on the Wenatchee River........................................ A-25 Figure 5-21: Public access site [08] located at RM 12.6 on the Wenatchee River. The overgrown trail limits this access to kayak and canoe launches............................................................................................. A-26 Figure 5-22: Same public access point as Figure 5-21 with a view of the footpath to the Wenatchee River. ......... A-27 Figure 5-23: Location of access points for Reach 1 of the Wenatchee River.......................................................... A-29 Figure 5-24: Unimproved access point [06] located just upstream from Old Monitor Bridge at RM 7.3 on the Wenatchee River. ......................................................................................................................... A-31 Figure 5-25: Unimproved access site [05] just upstream from Monitor Bridge at RM 5.9 on the Wenatchee River................................................................................................................................................... A-32 Figure 5-26: Improved access site [03] on the Columbia River at Wenatchee Confluence State Park. .................. A-33 Figure 5-27: Improved access site [01] on the Columbia River at Wenatchee River Front Park............................ A-34 Figure 5-28: Unimproved access site [02] located on the Columbia River at Walla Walla Point Park. ................. A-35 Figure 5-29: Unimproved access site [04] at Wenatchee River County Park located at RM 5.7 on the Wenatchee River. ............................................................................................................................... A-36 Rocky Reach Project No. 2145 Final Study Report SS/2519 Page ii December 15, 2000 (Revised July 27, 2001) Sportsmans Access SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION North-Central Washington rivers offer a wide variety of recreational opportunities. Many of the rivers that descend the eastern slopes of the cascades are used by a diverse group of recreationists. These different groups enjoy rafting, kayaking, canoeing, fishing, water skiing, use of personal watercraft, wind surfing, inner tubing, swimming, and sightseeing. In this report we evaluate public access along the Wenatchee River. We describe the location of public access and document its uses. We do not identify all the access points that could be reached by foot, nor do we identify access on private property. This report is intended to describe public access points that are commonly used by rafts, kayaks, canoes, and drift boats. We evaluated public access beginning at Lake Wenatchee and