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Here are the state's primary rafting rivers, placed -- subjectively, admittedly -- in descending order, from best to worst.

Their order is based on each river's attractiveness as a rafting destination for people from this part of the state, taking into consideration whitewater thrills, scenic quality and logistics (travel distance, camping/lodging availability). Some rivers, like the White Salmon and the Methow, are well worth the longer drive. Others, well, not so much.

The river class ratings, which are universal but also somewhat subjective, run from 1 (a yawner) to 5 (screw up and you're a goner). For online updates on the streamflow (by cfs, cubic feet per second) on the state's rivers, go to:
waterdata.usgs.gov/wa/nwis/current?type=flow

WASHINGTON

Wenatchee: Class 3-4, May-July. On a busy Saturday at high season, there might be 75 to 100 rafts on the state's most popular river run, the Leavenworth-to-Cashmere stretch of the Wenatchee. Some of its biggest rapids -- especially Devil's Eyeball, Snowblind and Drunkard's Drop -- are famous by Washington whitewater standards.

White Salmon: Basically year-round. It's a solid Class 3+ for most of the ride in as beautiful a river setting as you'll ever find; the 14-foot Husum Falls, if you run the river early in the season or late, make it a Class 5. The falls, though, are too dangerous to run for much of the season and probably won't be runnable again until the second week of July. Either way, the White Salmon is a tremendous rafting destination.

Methow: Class 3-4, May-June, occasionally into July. Its narrow width means you can get a great ride at only 3,000 cfs and yet it's raftable up above 8,000, and the entire 17-mile run is thoroughly entertaining -- when you're not being thrilled, you're marveling at the scenery.

Tieton: Class 3+, September only. The annual "flip-flop" flows and the narrow channel with continuous rapids for an entertaining ride that even newcomers can negotiate (with a good guide). It won't provide the thrills of pool-and-drop rivers like the Wenatchee, White Salmon or Methow, but it's still fun.

Skykomish: Class 4-5, April-July. This river, with the sublimely hellish Boulder Drop sequence of rapids, is only for the experienced and unflappable. If you're ready for its challenges, it can be the best and boldest whitewater in the state. If you're not ready, you'll wish you were anywhere else.

Klickitat: Class 3-4, April-July. It's a remote beauty, but in periods of high snowmelt flows, downed trees and snags can funnel through the Klick's narrow channels into deadly logjams; a 2006 snarl on the Klick killed two rafters, one of them a rafting guide with one of the best safety records in the industry.

Green River Gorge: Class 3-4, April-May. A lot of rafters avoid this simply because the dam-controlled runs from Howard Hanson Reservoir are unpredictable and the boulders that can make that 3,500-plus cfs flows a scary ride. But if you catch the water right, between 1,500 and 2,500 cfs, it can be one of the best rides in the state.

Sauk: Class 3-4, April-August: The late season is due to snowmelt flows off Glacier Peak. But you need at least 600 cfs to make the Sauk worth running, and above 3,500 cfs at the Darrington gauge it's too dicey for anybody but serious pros.

Skagit: Class 2-3+, August: This dam-controlled river is a picturesque though not thrilling ride for much of the year but the S-Bends in mid-run are rocking in August.

Suiattle: Class 4, June-August: Most of the trip is a Class 3 or even a 2, but the line of logjam-collecting boulders at the Hurricane rapid make it a potentially treacherous 4.

ELSEWHERE

Oregon's most popular rafting river is the Deschutes, a good, solid Class 3 for much of its raftable stretch but some 5+ sections that recreational rafters should avoid; the feisty Wind, the family-friendly Grande Ronde and the long-season (and long trip, typically 4 to 5 days) Owyhee are also worth considering. In Idaho, a lot of people opt for multi-day trips on the big-water fun of the Main Salmon (Class 3-4), though the Middle Fork Salmon offers nearly nonstop whitewater (albeit without perhaps the same level of big-drop thrills). Hells Canyon on the Snake can be fun, but the releases from Hells Canyon Dam can quickly turn a scenic ride into a white-knuckler.