Columbia River — Hanford Reach
Wild & Scenic🏞 National Park
Benton / Grant Co. · 51 mi · Class I–II
121,000CFS/ 15.37 ft
Optimal
Falling fast (-1,000 cfs/hr)· -4,000 cfs in 3h
Optimal: 80000–200000 CFS · USGS #12472800
Flow data is live from USGS·Rapid classifications and CFS ranges need community verification·Know this river?
51 mi
Length
Class I–II
Difficulty
80000–200000 cfs
Optimal
120,000 cfs
Avg Flow
108,000 cfs
Hist. Median
#12472800
USGS Gauge
Hanford Reach National Monument · National Wild & Scenic Study River

The only free-flowing non-tidal stretch of the Columbia River. The Hanford Reach runs 51 miles through the former Hanford nuclear reservation, where decades of restricted access accidentally preserved the last wild fall Chinook salmon run on the Columbia. The massive river flows past White Bluffs and through shrub-steppe desert in a setting unlike anything else in the Pacific Northwest.

Trip sections
Priest Rapids Dam to Vernita Bridge — 20 mi, upper reach, Class I–II, big water
Vernita Bridge to White Bluffs — 15 mi, the signature stretch, White Bluffs visible
White Bluffs to Richland — 16 mi, lower reach, wider and slower
Outfitters
Columbia Kayak Adventures
Hanford Reach guided paddle trips, Richland
72-Hour Flow Forecast
NOAA NWPS
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10-Year Flow Patterns
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Data Quality

River conditions are community-verified. CFS ranges, difficulty ratings, and trip sections may not reflect every flow level or seasonal change. Always check current conditions, scout unfamiliar rapids, and paddle within your skill level. If you spot an error, use the Improve This River button at the top of the page — your local knowledge is what makes this atlas accurate.