| 3. Fishing Access site to S.Fork Stillaguamish |
Canyon Creek (Stilly)
Class IV-V
1.3Miles
Avg Gradient 111 fpm
Play Rating (1-10): 1
River Mapplet
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| County |
Snohomish |
| Put In Longitude |
-121.9639282 |
| Put In Latitude |
48.1151237 |
| Take Out Longitude |
-121.9733582 |
| Take Out Latitude |
48.0960388 |
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Gauge Information (Professor Paddle updated levels from Canyon Creek Stillaguamish nr Masonic Park at 2/24/2009 11:09:56 AM)
| Gauge |
Forecast |
Height |
Current Flow |
Authority |
Physical Update |
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Canyon Creek Stillaguamish nr Masonic Park
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n/a |
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8850 cfs
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Washington State DOE |
02/24/2009 |
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Minimum Recomended Level: 200 cfs Maximum Recomended Level: 1000 cfs
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AccessThis run has good access with well developed put-ins and take-outs. Its pretty close to Seattle too, making it a good run for the after-work adreneline junkie. Its also short enough to get a few laps in. |
Putin DetailsTake Highway 92 east to Granite Falls. Once in town this road becomes Stanley Street. Follow this to the other side of town and turn left on Mountain Loop Highway. From here it’s 2.1 miles to the turnoff for Canyon Drive (124th St NE). Follow Canyon Drive 0.7 miles to a fishing access point with parking for the put-in on the right. This put-in is at the bottom of the hill where the road bends to the left and is easy to miss.
There is another put-in .2 miles down just before the road crosses the creek. Putting in here makes for an easy scout of the first ledge from the small park next to the rapid. If you put in here, there is a small trail marked by a "Public Fishing" access sign that leads down to the river between 2 houses. Please be respectful of the homeowners.
A WA Dept of Wildlife & Fisheries parking permit is required at both of these put-ins. |
Takeout DetailsTo reach the take-out, head back through Granite Falls the way you came and on the west side of town Jordan road turns off to the north. Follow this road 1.0 miles to the bridge across the South Fork Stillaguamish. Just after you cross the bridge turn right on Bergan Road which quickly ends at a county river access on the upstream river right side of the bridge. The total shuttle distance is 4.4 miles. No permit is required here. |
Fun FactsCan be paddled in less than 10 minutes. If you have a friend running shuttle, you may be able to beat them back to the take out.
In the Fall, Salmon choke this run. They jump around your boat in the rapids and you bump them with your paddle in the eddies. |
Run Description [Season: Year Round]Canyon Creek is a real gem: close to Seattle, beautiful canyon, adrenaline packed run, great rapids, and short shuttle for multiple runs.
Flow information:
The South Fork Stillaguamish gauge is often used for this run although it is not a great correlation. There is a Dept of Ecology realtime gauge on CC that is a much better indicator. Check it out here:
CANYON CREEK AT MASONIC PARK
Levels on the DOE gauge:
200 - 300 cfs: Low but runnable. The main drops channel up pretty well but you're going to hit some rocks.
300 - 450 cfs: Medium. The rocks are padded out nicely but the drops get faster and pushier the higher you go. There's a couple of holes at these levels that can get you too.
450+ cfs: High flow. CC has definitely been run many times at higher water but it is pushing more towards class V than class IV.
River Description:
If you use the upper put-in, you'll have a few hundred yards of Class II warm up before you reach the first rapid.
The first rapid is a river wide ledge that is incredibly sticky. Many good boaters have swum out of this one. Pick your line left or right around the rock just above the ledge - both lines work - and paddle hard through the hole at the bottom. As soon as you clear the hole, turn right and line up for the second half of the drop. This part is a straight forward drop although a lot of paddlers hang up on the rocks just below it. Hang out in the pool below and wait for the rest of your group to clear the ledge.
Once you leave the first ledge, the river enters a gorgeous canyon. The 2nd drop is a nice boof if you take the right line around the rock. The left line is a clean chute along the wall.
The 3rd rapid is always bumpy. Start center and work left. At the bottom, you want to be along the far left wall for the deepest line.
The 4th rapid or "Headwall Drop" is constantly changing. As of the end of 2009, the best line is starting left and then running the tongue down the center. The right hand line here has been the site of several nasty pins. If no one in your group has run this recently, plan on scouting from the right bank. The portage is on the left.
Following Headwall Drop is some class IV boogie water for about 100 yards before you come to Double Drop. Double Drop can be run on the right or the left altough right is almost alway the one that is run. Line your boat up down the center of the right channel and enjoy the ride. You can scout this from the left if you want.
A small pool after Double Drop leads to the 6th drop also known as the boulder garden. Several lines exist here but all of them are tight and require good boat control. Pick your line carefully from the right bank. The boulder garden ends with a sticky ledge hole about 100 yards down from the entrance. The hole is between two large rocks that close the hole’s ends like a lowhead dam. It is about 6 feet wide and cannot be avoided without portaging. This hole is no problem if you paddle and boof hard.
A final manky rapid that is run along the right wall brings you to the end of the rapids on CC Stilly.
Paddle down about 5 minutes to the confluence with the Stillaguamish and the take-out on the right. Drink water, squeeze out adrenal glands, and get ready for second run.
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