Notes from Windward: #66


The Wild Klickitat River

     The Klickitat river is born in the snow melt running through "Hell Roaring Canyon" on the south slope of Mt. Adams winding some forty miles south to join the Columbia river at Lyle, Wa. Along the way, the Klickitat flows through a gorge that is remarkable for not only its beauty, but also for its isolation.

     Because the Klickitat is fed by rain in the fall and winter, and snow melt in the spring and summer, it's a remarkably consistent river offering good sport year round to both the fisher and the kayaker.

around Mile Post 18
  


     Highway 142 follows the Klickitat from the Columbia north for twenty miles at which point it bears east to follow the Little Klickitat. From there northward, the Klickitat flows through a wild canyon hidden from view for more than a dozen miles.

southward view from the overlook
  


     These series of shots were taken from an overlook on the Glennwood road, and show the progress of the Klickitat through its secluded canyon.

westward view from the overlook
  


northward view from the overlook
  


     A couple of miles beyond the bend in the northward view is Leidel Campground -- an excellent place to set out in a kayak or even the more pedestrian truck size inner tube.
the launching ramp at Liedel Campground
  



Notes From Windward - Index - Vol. 66