North Fork Skykomish Trip Report
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Category: General
Forum Name: Whitewater Forum
Forum Discription: Open Discussion Forum. Whitewater related subjects only
URL: http://www.professorpaddle.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=7503
Printed Date: 07 May 2025 at 4:07am
Topic: North Fork Skykomish Trip Report
Posted By: Otter Boy
Subject: North Fork Skykomish Trip Report
Date Posted: 09 Nov 2008 at 9:28pm
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Four of us ran the North Fork Skykomish today after driving around Jack's Pass. The road is clear and well maintained. Level was 9000 and falling.
The hike in is not bad, particularly if you paddle down farther than we did. We didn't know exactly where Bear Creak Falls was located, so we got out too early. The best place we saw to start the long portage down to Drumbeater and the regular put in is by a huge house rock on river right immediately upstream of a sharp left hand turn. You can probably paddle further down, but the river gorges up pretty past. A longer walk would be easier than hauling boats out. There's not much wood right now, but is subject to change. The log in Let’s Make a Deal is still there, but there is a good line to the right. I recommend scouting it in any case. All in all the North Fork Sky isn't worth the trouble. The Canyon is OK, and the section down to El Nino is fun. Farther downstream it turns into braided channels. We may need some more high water events for those channels to deepen and turn into fun rapids again. |
Replies:
Posted By: water wacko
Date Posted: 09 Nov 2008 at 9:38pm
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What did Bear Creek look like? I saw it this spring when the main was at 16k and it looked absolutely unsurvivable. The top of Bear Creek was not super recognizable. We were taking our time and not overly committing to things. The lead in is class II as the river sweeps around a blind right hand turn. It hits a short (15-20 foot) headwall on riverleft made out of broken up bedrock. It is different than the rest of the bank to that point and remembering that it was in a little boxed out canyon made me want to look. It was the craziest hydraulic I have ever seen. You would've drowned by simply being underwater for so long. uh. ------------- "Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." ~Howard Thurman |
Posted By: Otter Boy
Date Posted: 09 Nov 2008 at 9:44pm
| We didn't scamper down the bank to look. But what we saw scared us....well, scared me anyway. |
Posted By: RemAcct2
Date Posted: 09 Nov 2008 at 11:03pm
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I wanted to look...but I didn't want to hold up the group. I suspect it is runnable at lower flows (like today or perhaps a bit lower).
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Posted By: water wacko
Date Posted: 10 Nov 2008 at 6:58am
I know kids swim the bottom drop in the late summer, but it has not been run in a kayak. I would not want to be the first.  ------------- "Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." ~Howard Thurman |
Posted By: Meghan
Date Posted: 10 Nov 2008 at 7:52am
| David Hanson ran Bear Creek Falls top to bottom. |
Posted By: Otter Boy
Date Posted: 10 Nov 2008 at 8:01am
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Oh....guess Leif and I forgot to mention. The crew left a boat hung up on a log right below Roostertail. We had a swimmer in the canyon and couldn't get it out in time. It's hung up pretty good, but if anyone sees a beat up blue Gus on the Skykomish please ping Leif or me.
Lesson of the day - Don't chase a boat right up to the lip of a ledge drop, especially if you're name is Jeff. |
Posted By: water wacko
Date Posted: 10 Nov 2008 at 8:27am
David did? Sweet now I can run it.  When? What level? ------------- "Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." ~Howard Thurman |
Posted By: slickhorn
Date Posted: 10 Nov 2008 at 8:27am
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steve munk has run bear creek falls also.
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Posted By: PowWrangler
Date Posted: 10 Nov 2008 at 9:01am
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Ya, not worthwhile at that flow. We ran a couple times this summer from the gate all the way past split rock. The flows were more like 14k off of snowmelt. Bear Creek was one of the more intimidating hydraulics I've seen with at that level. |
Posted By: James
Date Posted: 10 Nov 2008 at 10:27am
| There are a couple of nice photos on the waterfallsnw website. Nasty looking punch bowl for sure!!! |
Posted By: Meghan
Date Posted: 10 Nov 2008 at 12:31pm
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Originally posted by water wacko
David did? Sweet now I can run it. When? What level?David ran it about 7 years ago and I do not know the level. What I do know is that he'd only been boating a year or so, thought it looked good to go and fired it off.
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