Raging River

The Raging River is a tributary of the Snoqualmie River in western Washington state in the United States. It is located in the western foothills of the Cascade Mountains in east central King County, Washington. It gets its name from the large amount of water it sometimes carries. The record discharge at the gaging station is over 4,000 cubic feet (110 m3) per second.[2] The Raging is a salmon-bearing river and supports one-fifth of the Snoqualmie River's chinook runs.[3]

Raging River
Location
StateWashington
CountyKing
Physical characteristics
SourceSouth side of Rattlesnake Ridge
MouthSnoqualmie River
Discharge 
 • locationUSGS gage 12145500, near Fall City, WA, river mile 2.6[1]
 • average130 cu ft/s (3.7 m3/s)[1]
 • minimum4.4 cu ft/s (0.12 m3/s)
 • maximum3,340 cu ft/s (95 m3/s)

The river begins in the valley formed by Rattlesnake Ridge to the east and Taylor Mountain to the west in the Raging River State Forest, managed by the Washington Department of Natural Resources. It flows northwest, crossing State Route 18, and then continues north past Tiger Mountain, crossing Interstate 90 near Preston, Washington, and joining the Snoqualmie River near Fall City, Washington. The Raging River watershed is part of the larger Puget Sound drainage basin. The average annual flow in the river is 149 cubic feet (4.2 m3) per second[4] and the drainage area is 32 square miles.[5]

History

Until 2009, almost half of the Raging River basin was privately owned. In the spring of that year, the Washington Department of Natural Resources and King County partnered to purchase 7,000 acres (2,800 ha), filling a large gap in the Mountains to Sound Greenway.[3]

Hiking and biking

The Preston-Snoqualmie Trail follows along the Raging River and Preston-Fall City Road for a 3½ mile stretch and continues toward Snoqualmie Falls.[6] The trail is bike and dog friendly.

In the winter of 2012 the Washington Department of Natural Resources began a public planning activity to guide the development of recreation opportunities in the Snoqualmie Corridor, including specifically the Raging River State Forest.

Kayaking

The lower half of the Raging River from Preston to Fall City is 5 miles (8.0 km) long and has been rated as a class III+ (difficult) section for kayaking.[7]

See also

References
  1. "Water Resources Data-Washington Water Year 2005; Snohomish River Basin" (PDF). USGS. Retrieved 5 August 2009.
  2. "QELP - Raging River discharge". Seattle Central Community College. 26 November 1998. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  3. Ervin, Keith. "Raging River forest acreage to fill gap in I-90 Greenway". Seattle Times. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  4. "King County: Raging River Flooding Information, USGS gage data, map, alert phases, and recent high flows". Archived from the original on 2004-02-17.
  5. Kaje, Janne. "Snoqualmie Watershed Water Quality Synthesis Report" (PDF). King County. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  6. Karen Sykes (February 13, 2003). "Hike Of The Week: Take your dog and bike to these nearby woods". Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
  7. "Washington whitewater - Raging River, Northern Cascade Range, King County".

47°29′11.4″N 121°53′51.6″W

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