Tapteal Water Trail
Location: Richland, WA
Region: Southeast WA
Best Season: Fall/Winter
Difficulty: Beginner
Primary Bike Surface: Pavement
Passes/Permits: None
Water Length: 25 mi
Bike Length: 10.5 mi
Suggested Bike Route Map: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/38103029
Recommended Trip Type: Lock-n-Paddle/Paddle-n-Unlock (what’s this?)
Parking: Chamna Preserve (Trees near river to lock bike) and Benton City Launch (Trees or manmade structures to lock bike)
Description:
This Tapteal Water Trail makes a great bikerafting trip. The large "U" shape of the lower Yakima river yields a trip with over double the water miles as that on the bike. There are also many variations to make the trip shorter if desired. The lower Yakima can run extremely low during the summer months due to all of the irrigation demand, but the river runs pretty well in the fall and winter. There is a low-head dam that must be portaged at around mile 11 of the trip. The portage trail is on river left. The Tapteal Greenway has done a good job of providing signage on the water for various access sites as well as bike racks for locking a bike at some sites. We recommend exiting the river at the main Chamna Preserve site just downstream of the I-182 bridges as the flow becomes minimal going further downstream. Another option to add an additional 2 river miles is to exit river left after the Hwy 240 bridge. The bike route from the Chamna parking lot follows the bike path over the I-182 bridge and up the hill to Queensgate and Keene Rd. Follow Keene NW over the Interstate and then take a left on Kennedy and follow back to Benton City. Allow plenty of time if attempting the whole loop. High river flows can be hazardous.
PRO Tip: Run tubeless or sealant in your tubes to prevent punctures from goat-head thorns. If running this as a “One-Stop-Adventure” trip it’s possible to break up the paddle by exiting the river at the first Tapteal access (mile 6.7) and then riding the gravel road through Horn Rapids park for approximately 5mi and put-in again just downstream of the dam. This breaks up the paddle with some nice gravel riding and makes the dam portage more bearable with bike in tow.
Water Flow: https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/12510500/#parameterCode=00065
References: https://tapteal.org/tapteal-water-trail/
Hazards: Goat-heads (puncture thorns), Summer Heat, River currents, Bike theft
Disclaimer: While we strive to present accurate information, the earth is not static. Conditions change, information may become outdated, and some things you read on the internet just may not be true. If you run across any information that needs updated please Contact Us and let us know. You alone are responsible for your safety. Treat this information as a preliminary guide only. You must evaluate conditions and your experience level to determine your own safety. The authors of this website are not held responsible for your safety.
