River Trail
Hike along rapids at the mouth of the Green River gorge
Quick Facts:
Location: Kanaskat-Palmer State Park
Land Agency: Washington State Parks
Round Trip: 2.5 miles
Elevation Gain: 175 feet
Contact: Kanaskat-Palmer State Park
Detailed Information: Urban Trails Tacoma (Mountaineers Books)
Notes: Discover Pass required. Dogs permitted on leash. Green River contains strong currents—exercise caution along river’s edge.
Access: From Renton drive SR 169 south for 14.0 miles turning left onto SE Kent-Kangley Road. Then continue east for 3.4 miles and bear right onto Retreat Kanaskat Road SE. Continue for 3.1 miles and turn right onto Cumberland Kanaskat Road SE. Then drive for 1.8 miles and turn right into Kanasket Palmer State Park and continue to parking at Day Use and Picnic Area.
Good to Know: kid-friendly, snow free winter hikes, dog-friendly, historic, camping and yurts available in park year round.
Kanaskat-Palmer State Park is named for two tiny communities on the Northern Pacific Railway in the heart of a once thriving coal mining district. The park is rife with history, but it’s the Green River at the mouth of a dramatic gorge that is the park’s main feature.
River kayakers and rafters have been coming to this spot long before it became a state park in 1983. It was some of these river rats who first recognized the ecological importance, natural beauty, and historical significance of the Green River Gorge calling for its preservation. In the 1970s Washington State Parks began acquiring lands along the 12 mile stretch of the Green River Gorge for protection and recreation. Today a near contiguous stretch of protected land embraces the gorge from its mouth to its outlet.
Kanaskat-Palmer consists of 320 acres at the gorge’s mouth. Here the river progresses from class II to Class IV rapids offering some of the most challenging river running on the Green. While the park is well known for its river running and family camping, hikers will be pleased with its River Trail. This lightly traveled path forms a pleasant kid-friendly loop around the park. Aside from offering excellent views of the river, this well-maintained trail leads to some quiet spots along the river and traverses a few groves of big old trees along the way.
Starting from the Day Use Area, locate the trailhead near the Upper take-out and put-in site. Then begin hiking on a wide trail gently climbing to a junction. The spur to the right leads to the park’s campground. Bear left along a bluff high above the river. While much of the surrounding forest has been logged in the past, many mature trees can still be found along the way. The forest floor is carpeted in ferns. In spring, wildflowers—particularly trilliums and bleeding hearts (dicentra) add dabs of white and purple to the emerald shroud.
The trail soon switchbacks down off of the bluff to traverse a grove of big cottonwoods, hemlocks, spruces and cedars at river level. Enjoy excellent views of the river here and watch for kayakers in the rapids. Look too for mergansers and dippers in the frothy waters. The trail hugs the river bank before coming to a junction. Here a spur leads right to the group campground, and one leads left leads to a deep pool surrounded by a sandy shore.
The River Trail continues straight through a lush alder flat before reaching a grove of big cedars. The way then bends right passing through a grove of Sitka spruce, a tree rare this far inland from the coast. The way then follows an old road bed up a bluff to the park road near the ranger station. Turn right here and walk the road a short distance to pick up trail again.
The trail now traverses quiet forest away from the river before reaching a bluff top above the waterway. The way then descends reaching the park road once again. Turn left here and walk along the short road leading to the Lower take-out and put in site. Then pick up the River Trail once again and come to the Lower take-out spot located at a shaded cove at the mouth of the gorge.
Here the river cuts through 300-foot tall bluffs and overhanging ledges of shale and sandstone. It’s a very difficult place to explore. You can catch glimpses of the deep gorge from various bridges and overlooks along the greenbelt protecting it. The trail heads upriver here passing riverside ledges and boulders and roaring rapids. The river is lined with deciduous trees and hemlocks giving this area a Southern Appalachian feel.
Continue upriver passing excellent viewing spots before reaching the park picnic area. Then follow a paved path back to your start. But before heading home, walk the wide path to the left a short distance to the Upper take-out and put-in site for an excellent river view at a rocky bend.
For more details on this hike and many others in the area, pick up a copy of my best selling Urban Trails Tacoma (Mountaineers Books)
