| Canyon Creek (Stilly) — 1.The Upper™ © |
Class IV-V
6.2Miles
Avg Gradient 76 fpm
Max Gradient 120 fpm
Play Rating (1-10): 2
River Mapplet
|
|
|
GPS/GIS |
Maps |
| Put In Longitude : |
-121.81696 |
Putin |
| Put In Latitude : |
48.15793 |
| Take Out Longitude : |
-121.90463 |
Take Out |
| Take Out Latitude : |
48.121307 |
| County : |
Snohomish |
Shuttle
|
|
Gauge Information (Professor Paddle updated levels from SF STILLAGUAMISH RIVER NEAR G at 4/24/2024 6:43:20 AM)
| Gauge |
Forecast |
Height |
Current Flow |
Authority |
Physical Update |
|
SF STILLAGUAMISH RIVER NEAR G
|
n/a |
4.48 |
|
USGS - NWIS |
04-24-2024 06:15:00 |
|
Minimum Recomended Level: 4.7 Maximum Recomended Level: 5.5
|
Putin DetailsPUT-IN: Continue east on the Mountain Loop Highway approximately one mile and turn left onto USFS Road 41 (also called Green Mountain Road, and is across from the trailhead for the Old Robe Trail)). Continue approximately 12 miles on 41 and turn left onto Road 4140. The road from here on is fairly rough and overgrown. After .3 mile the road splits, go left and continue another .3 mile. Just before the road ends there is a small parking area on the right, just enough for a couple vehicles. Park here and walk 100 feet or so down the road to find the trailhead. There is a trail-marker a little ways from the start of the trail. From here it is about 1.5 miles hike (almost all downhill) to the creek. This is a USFS trail, but a relatively obscure one and doesn't receive alot of maintenance. Expect to drag your boat over some logs (all part of the fun). The trail ends near the confluence of the NF and SF of Canyon Creek, the put-in.
1/3/14 Update: USFS Road 41 closed at bridge crossing the South Fork of Canyon Creek |
Takeout DetailsTAKE-OUT: Head east on the Mountain Loop Highway from Granite Falls about 5 miles and look for the sign marking the entrance to Masonic Park, and gated timber road. Masonic Park is members only, so unless you're a member of the Mason's you'll need to use the Hampton Tree Farm Bridge as your take-out. Park near the gate in a wide turnout, careful not to block the gate. The creek is 1/2 mile from the gate, so save some energy at the end of the day for the walk back. Easiest access is on the downstream river right side of the bridge. This will be the first bridge you come to on the run.
UPDATE: Weyerhauser now owns the land at the take-out. Access may not be legal or require a permit. Check with Weyerhauser. If you're not able to take out a the bridge you may need to continue down to the takeout in the middle section (class 2+). |
 River Alerts ( Add Alert ) |
Pinned Forum Threads |
Create your Alert
(Max of 50 Words)
Please remove irrelevant warnings, and don't reference previous warnings in your submission.
| |
|
There are no alerts listed for this Run.
|
There are no forum threads pinned to this run.
|
Other IssuesThere haven't been enough trips to this section to determine a good flow range. It has been run at 4.7 and 5.0 feet on the SF Stilly gage. 4.7 was considered a minimal flow, while 5.0 was a bit more filled in, but still relatively low. A slightly higher (but not alot higher) flow may be optimal. If you do this run, please note the level on both the SF Stilly gage and the Canyon creek DOE gage and post this to the forum along with your thoughts about the creek at that level. |
Fun FactsA fun, rarely run trip for those with a sense of adventure. |
Run DescriptionThis run has always taken a sense of adventure but access challenges have made it even more so. The road to the put-in trail is closed at the bridge over SF Canyon Creek, adding either extra hiking miles or finding a bushwhack access on river left. On the plus side, a WTA volunteer has done work recently on the trail to the put-in (forks of canyon creek trail).
(NOTE: Putting in at the bridge on SF Canyon Creek is not recommended. The SF from the bridge to confluence contains multiple canyons with class 5 to unrunnable sections with very long and arduous portages)
This run includes a 1.5 mile hike in on a FS trail to the put-in at the confluence of the North and South Forks and a 1/2 mile hike out on a logging road. (You could continue on through the next section for 4 miles of class 2 instead). The run starts with some class 4 and class 3, then settles down into some flatwater through some beautiful gorges. After the flatwater the river takes off downhill through an exciting 1/2 mile section of continuous class 4-5 ledges and boulder gardens. After the 4/5 section the action lets up to class 3+, eventually slowing down to class 2 with a couple logjams in the last few miles. Still, if you don't mind working for your rewards, this may be just the trip for you. Just make sure to get an early start!
Spring is the best time for this run, not only because of longer days allow for the hike-in, but the road to the put-in is often snowed in during winter.
First known runs of this section were in 2004.
1/3/14 Update: Two attempted this run with the SF Stilly gauge around 5.9'. USFS Road 41 is closed at the bridge crossing the South Fork where we put-in, about 0.5 mile downstream of this put-in the SF tributary enters a wood-chocked, sieved out (unrunnable) gorge a few hundred yards long. Below this, a second gorge started with class 4 and turned a corner and got deeper. We did not portage the first gorge and return to our putin. An arduous portage of the first gorge on river right could allow downstream continuation.
05/03/2021 Update: This section was run in April 2020. Here's video of that run.
| Who's Watching |  Upcoming Trips on this Run | Trip Reports |
|
|
|
|
|