Cascade Rapid

About Cascade Rapid

Cascade is the first of the Class V rapids on the Cal Salmon. It should be scouted on the left-hand side. Most boaters will choose to run down the left side, but there is a narrow sneak on the far right side at high flows. To take the left run, enter on the left side and work right to stay away from the left wall and several large holes. There are two big drops to be aware of. The second hit on the bottom is known to surf and flip boats. At lower flows, this wave becomes a flippy rock that can be hard to avoid. At higher flows, a narrow right slot appears, but if flows are not right, this can become a sieve, so be wary here.