Bridal Veil Creek
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| Raps:4-6, max ↨120ft
Red Tape:No permit required Shuttle:Optional 10 min Vehicle:Passenger | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Condition Reports: | 6 Oct 2024
"Used the short cut approach. You want to drop in at the small pullout instead of the user trail 100 feet to the south. That user trail drops you into |
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Best season: | Jul-Oct
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Introduction
A classic Columbia Gorge canyon with reasonably good access. Be ready, however, for some jungle bushwhacking and creekwalking before reaching R1. This canyon holds a good amount of water late into the season. Sadly, this canyon, being close to civilization, has been used as a dumping ground for many years. There are a number of junked cars in the creek (reportedly 13 at one count); likely attempts at insurance fraud.
- Beware poison oak on the approach and exit.
- Watershed: 5.8mi^2. Checkpoint is from the bridge on the Old Columbia River Highway.
Red Tape Updates:
- Please review the Exit section below for information on property issues on the hike out.
- The West Columbia Gorge lead, David Spangler, has requested that canyoneers please do not run Bridal Veil Falls (R5 & R6) due to public safety concerns.
Approach
Drop a car at the exit: the parking lot for Bridal Veil Falls just off the Old Columbia River Hwy.
Either walk or shuttle 0.5mi east on the old highway east. (If on foot, use caution as there is no shoulder in some areas and vehicles come barreling through here.) Just before the Angel's Rest trailhead, turn off right on Palmer Mill Rd and right again immediately. Palmer Mill is one lane, steep, and eroded in spots, but can be driven carefully by 2WD. Follow it up for 1.5mi up to a spot where the road takes a 90-degree left turn. There's room here for a couple cars at a pullout. There are two options for entering the creek:
- Shortcut Approach: Backtrack 0.25mi down Palmer Mill and drop in at the small pullout. It is steep and expect bushwhacking. Dropping in too soon will put you in a gully of devils club. If done correctly, you will arrive at the junked cars just before R1.
- Classic Approach: From the pullout, bushwhack down the nose of the ridge directly into the creek. It's steep and scrambly in spots, and becomes a jungle near the bottom. There is a lengthy stretch of annoying creek-walking before reaching R1.
Descent
In high water, the descent can be quite technical. Several drops may have hydraulics present at the bottom. Experienced swiftwater canyoneers will have a blast rappelling in the watercourse and negotiating these features, while beginners may prefer to bypass them by rappelling out of the watercourse.
- A short drop (easily downclimbed) with three junked cars marks the beginning of the technical section.
- R1:Upper Bridal Veil Falls - a gorgeous curtain falls and a hidden gem of the Columbia Gorge.
- Dry line: 100ft rappel from tree DCL.
- Wet line (late summer only): 100ft from log in showery free-hanging rappel.
The bedrock below R1 is a delight and a highlight of the canyon. It's possible to escape below R1 on a steep user-trail up to the road.
- R2: 15ft from single bolt DCL. Or, downclimb half way and jump DCL into 5ft deep hole mid-pool. As always, scout the pool before jumping!
- R3: 25ft from tree DCL. Rappel towards the falls, but throw the pull side off the back (downstream) for an easy retrieval.
- R4: Middle Bridal Veil Falls. Use caution when deploying ropes as there are two large metal cables left over from the logging days hanging down the DCL side of the falls. Pool at the bottom can be a hydraulic earlier in the season.
- High water: 90ft (?) dry rappel from tree far DCL.
- Low water: 90ft from bolt station on a boulder DCR.
Exit
Follow a trail about 0.5mi along the DCL / west side of the creek. Be aware: there is private land along the exit route and the local owner is not friendly to canyoneers. To avoid potential conflicts, stay in the creek (i.e. east of the property line) or bushwhack along the east side (State Park land). See KML map above for the location of the property line.
Exit the creek at the bridge. Climb out DCL on the north side of the bridge.
Bridal Veil Falls
As of September 2023, land manager David Spangler, has requested that canyoneers please DO NOT run Bridal Veil Falls (R5 & R6) due to public safety concerns.
Red tape
- Please avoid private land on the west side of the creek below R4.
- Bridal Veil Falls (R5 & R6) is one of a number of popular waterfalls located along the Historic Columbia River Highway. Individuals climbing, rappelling, or slack-lining around such "show waterfalls" are far more likely to garner negative reactions from the general public at large. Negative reactions can lead to complaints and more canyon rules/regulations by the local authorities. As of September 2023, Columbia River Gorge West lead, David Spangler, has requested that canyoneers please refrain from running the last two falls on the creek. Let's please respect this request in the interest of maintaining good relations with local land managers.
Beta sites
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CanyoneeringNorthwest.com (archive.org) : Bridal Veil Creek
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Super Amazing Map : Bridal Veil Creek