Conditions:Parkett Creek-20230815000700

Latest:	10 Aug 2023 (1 yr, 9 mos ago)

Reported by:	Brdn.gonzales (44 reports)
Quality:	Great
Waterflow:	Moderate Low
Wetsuit:	Thin wetsuit
Water temperature:
Difficulty:	Normal
Time:	5 hours

Team: 2 people with experience level Intermediate to Advanced

Trip report URL:

Comments: Parkett was stunning and a real treat to run on our way back from the PNW rondy! The flow on the big rappel was nothing short of pure fun, but it was difficult to hear the whistle blasts from up top. Our only grievance was being stung 8 times by yellow jackets on the exit! When you find the rock cairn, you'll see an obvious slope on the left side of the embankment, typically used to climb out. Unfortunately there's a huge wasp nest there, that we didn't see, and my partner got lit up. We found an alternate path up by walking on the fallen trees to the right of it, but you've been warned!

All condition reports

Date	Quality	Waterflow	Wetsuit	Difficulty	Time	Team	Reported by
28 Sep 2024	Great	Moderate Low	Thin wetsuit	Normal	4 hours	4 people	K arc (371 reports),Treyshoe (31 reports)
Comment: Replaced missing anchor on R1. It appears some well-meaning party is continuing to remove the anchor here from year to year and rappelling DRT or ghosting the drop. Rappelling DRT is not good for the tree; one of the trees here is already showing signs of friction damage. Ghosting can be used in some circumstances, although retrievable systems are generally more complicated/risky to use. Many are static in nature which is non-ideal in aquatic canyons. This drop is not visited by hikers (non-canyoneers) on any regular basis, so there's no good reason to be removing the fixed anchor here. Added an extra single bolt to the second drop in the canyon to provide options in high flow: rappelling or to protect the approach for a jump. Allows for many different options R4: removed the quick link from lower glue-in bolt. The quick link on the upper bolt /might/ help avoid getting ropes stuck, but the lower one was just creating more rope drag and making the pull harder. Am unconvinced having any quick links on the bolts is a good idea. When the anchor is underwater during flood stage the quicklinks will be thrashed around wildly 24/7 until the water levels drop... which can result in damage to the bolts. Please do not add any more material to the anchor.
24 Sep 2024	Great	Moderate Low	Full wetsuit	Special challenges	3 hours	4 people Beginner to Advanced	Motovlogmatt (9 reports)
Comment: We had a team of four, this canyon was fun this time of year, the water was just right for a beginner (me) but also had more water flow that some of the other canyons close bye. (lost, Panther ect) We added some quick links to R4 to reduce the chance of a stuck rope with an 8 block "euro style". I read about the exit and expected worse. There is very little bush wacking if you use the exit thats in the beta past the cairn. It is very steep but mostly open forest with some downed trees, it reminded me of elk hunting as a kid. I plan on doing this canyon many more times! The pay to play feels worth it. I was wearing a 6/5mm and felt comfy all day(I get cold easily). Off too quartzville for a romp to end the day!
30 Jul 2024	Great	Moderate	Full wetsuit	Normal	4 hours	3 people Advanced	David (16 reports)
Comment: Flow was definitely moderate. Waterfalls were just pushy enough to be really fun! We got a late start, so there was very little sunlight in the canyon making for a cold run. For the big drop (Parkett Falls) we rapped on a 200' rope and tied 2 100' ropes on for the pull. We couldn't pull the ropes, they absolutely wouldn't budge. We ended up cutting as much of the pull side as we could since we needed some rope for remaining 2 rappels. We went back the next day with the intention of retrieving our stuck gear. But we found the Forest Service gate to NF-11 closed and locked. The Forest Service put up signs on the gate stating that the road is closed due to the Pyramid and Slate fires. We ran into a Forest Service Ranger there at the gate who confirmed that even though Parkett isn't inside the closure area, access via NF-11 is prohibited. We will reward anyone who runs Parkett and retrieves our ropes and gear. Bonus reward for getting pictures of whatever prevented the pull. Find me on FB at https://www.facebook.com/djkessler
26 Jul 2024	Great	Moderate	Full wetsuit	Normal	5 hours	2 people Intermediate to Beginner	Tadams (5 reports)
Comment: The waterfalls weren't too pushy but definitely still a fun amount of flow. I was a little cold in my 5mm wetsuit, wish I had a hood. I don't enjoy the approach or exit from this canyon, but it's definitely worth it!
23 Sep 2023	Good	Low	Full wetsuit	Easy	2 hours	2 people Advanced	Rernst86 (87 reports)
Comment: Saw some bees, ran. Ran the canyon. Very chill. Ran into a group in front of us.
10 Aug 2023	Great	Moderate Low	Thin wetsuit	Normal	5 hours	2 people Intermediate to Advanced	Brdn.gonzales (44 reports)
Comment: Parkett was stunning and a real treat to run on our way back from the PNW rondy! The flow on the big rappel was nothing short of pure fun, but it was difficult to hear the whistle blasts from up top. Our only grievance was being stung 8 times by yellow jackets on the exit! When you find the rock cairn, you'll see an obvious slope on the left side of the embankment, typically used to climb out. Unfortunately there's a huge wasp nest there, that we didn't see, and my partner got lit up. We found an alternate path up by walking on the fallen trees to the right of it, but you've been warned!
6 Aug 2023	Amazing	Moderate Low	Thin wetsuit	Normal	5 hours	4 people Intermediate to Advanced	K arc (371 reports)
Comment: Terrific fun in Parkett! Did we open it for the year? Had forgotten how good the big rappel is. Replaced several anchors which, oddly, were missing. They are all in good condition. All jumps are in at current water levels. Watch a large log floating in the hanging pool on the two-tier rappel. Having it come down on a rappeller would be no-bueno. Beware yellowjackets on the exit.
10 Sep 2022	Great	Moderate Low	Full wetsuit	Normal	4 hours	2 people Advanced	Rernst86 (87 reports)
Comment: Chill day. Water was cold. I wore a 5mm and had small periods of being chilly. For a group of 2 it wasn’t a problem. Could be if you take more than 4.
27 Aug 2022	Great	Moderate	Full wetsuit	Normal	4 hours	5 people Intermediate to Advanced	Briwellman (76 reports)
Comment: Parkett is awesome! Water is cold!!
28 Aug 2021	Great	Moderate Low	Full wetsuit	Normal	4 hours	3 people Beginner to Intermediate	Tadams (5 reports)
Comment: Parked the car at the bottom and walked up to the trailhead. The water in this creek is cold! The person on the team with a 3mm wetsuit was uncomfortable for sure. All the raps are really fun, especially the longest one! We skipped the last two short raps and down climbed instead. Thanks for the obvious cairn to know when to leave the creek. The uphill thrash at the end sucks. Use your GPS. If you just go uphill you won't end up at your car (ask me how I know). :(
10 Jul 2021	Great	Moderate Low	Thin wetsuit	Normal	6 hours	4 people	K arc (371 reports)
Comment: Flow was terrific today. This year is probably lower than the norm per the extreme heat wave Oregon experienced in June. Much time was spent lounging in pools and loitering. Replaced wonky anchor at R1... although the tree is dead and the anchor probably should be moved to a new location ere long. Took the short exit which requires continuing downstream and clambering over numerous log jams. Added a rock cairn DCR which is a good place to de-wetsuit. Continue down-canyon along the creek for ~50ft from the cairn and exit directly up the steep slope.
4 Jul 2021	Amazing	Moderate	Full wetsuit	Special challenges	7 hours	3 people Beginner to Intermediate	Sbrown (17 reports)
Comment: Water flow was a little saucy but completely safe - such a beautiful canyon. The canyon itself took about 3 hours with a lunch break, but the exit we took (very close to the alt exit but I guess not quite there) was also 3 hrs... so that took away from part of the fun.
3 Jul 2021	Amazing	Moderate	Full wetsuit	Normal	5 hours	4 people Intermediate	Briwellman (76 reports)
Comment: Flow was great, not pushy at all. Great day to run the canyon.
2 Jul 2021	Amazing	Moderate	Full wetsuit	Normal	5 hours	7 people Intermediate to Advanced	Mads (61 reports)
Comment: The flow was moderate high based on the waterflow comparison but our consensus was that the canyon was running at a4/moderate with no serious swiftwater challenges. All anchors are in good condition. It's helpful to have extra length on the pull side for R3 and R5 to pull the rope from across the pool. The potential hydraulic in the pool between R4 and R5 was easy to navigate at this flow.
26 Jul 2020	Great	Moderate High	Full wetsuit	Normal		2 people Advanced	Blueshade (55 reports)
Comment: Moderately pushy on big rap. Fairly cold water but never in it for extended periods and fairly sunny in the afternoon. Of note: I have only run this canyon once and have not checked jumps or slides extensively. However, I am generally considered to be very daring for such things and I thought the risk for most average canyoneers (or possibly more daring canyoneers) for most of the drops was unacceptably high- especially for the "quality" of the action. Most of the "bigger" jumps have small landing zones, awkward takeoffs, relatively shallow water (waist to chest), and/or a ledge that must be cleared. As for the slides: While not confirmed, it appeared the first slide had bumps and ledges along the way (especially lower) as well as the wall on the right that could easily catch a foot or tail bone. I'm not certain what the second one was- I think maybe the one with a submerged ledge that I thought was a better jump. Anyhow, call it lack of daring or being conservative but attempt these at your own risk... Also, for what it's worth, all of the shorter drops can be downclimbed with skill and some modest exposure by the skilled. But it's not recommended. Lastly, we estimated the 2 stage at 90'.

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