Wenatchee Whitewater Wows

Wenatchee Whitewater Wows, originally published in the Spring/Summer 2020 issue of Touring & Tasting.

Pair your white — or red — wines with some whitewater on an exciting journey rafting down the Wenatchee River’s wild rapids. This action-packed adventure departs from Leavenworth and combines wine tasting with the splashes, thrills and (possibly) spills of careening down Washington’s exhilarating whitewater for a nonstop day of fun!

Blue Sky Outfitters’ Wenatchee Whitewater Wine Adventures covers ten miles of rapids, with fun names like Upper Gorilla, Sharkstooth, Rodeo Hole, Drunkards Drop, Snowblind, Grannys and the Suffocator adding to the adrenaline-filled day.

After you work up a hearty appetite on the river, you’ll be treated to their famous top sirloin steak barbecue, then chauffeured to Wenatchee Valley wineries for a three-hour tasting tour. The most popular stretch of the Wenatchee River is about 14 miles between the towns of Leavenworth and Cashmere, and it boasts a thrilling array of class 3–4 whitewater every spring (river rapids are classified as 1–5, with 1 as the easiest and 5 as the most challenging).

Experts say that on the Wenatchee, when you hear a rapid coming — you know you are going to get wet! But with 300 days of sunshine per year, you’ll enjoy the drench. Along with great waves, and Osprey soaring overhead and nesting in the tops of trees, you’ll also find beautiful scenery, from mountainous forested landscape in Leavenworth to apple and pear orchards, rocky sandstone spires and grass-covered hillsides as you leave the Cascade foothills and enter the more agriculture-rich eastern part of Washington state.

In addition to Blue Sky Outfitters (blueskyoutfitters.com), other rafting operators offering guided trips in the Wenatchee River area include Alpine Adventures (alpineadventures.com), Leavenworth Outdoor Center (leavenworthoutdoorcenter.com), Orion Expeditions (orionexp.com), Osprey Rafting (ospreyrafting.com), River Riders (riverrider.com) and Wildwater River Guides (wildwater-river.com).

Originally published in the spring/summer 2020 issue of Touring & Tasting. Click here to read this story and more! TT-SP20.digital