Conditions:Quartzville Creek-20170911062751

Latest:	10 Sep 2017 (7 yrs, 8 mos ago)

Reported by:	K arc (373 reports)
Quality:	Great
Waterflow:	Moderate Low
Wetsuit:	Thin wetsuit
Water temperature:
Difficulty:	Normal
Time:

Team: 2 people with experience level Intermediate to Advanced

Trip report URL:

Comments: We entered via the described shortcut, but it's still a good hour of hiking along the creek before you reach the gorge proper. It'd be good to find another way in to get right into the good stuff. Amazing set of narrows, pools, falls, and rock formations. Be aware: R2 is a chained rappel. We pulled our rope down prematurely before realizing there was another 5ft drop just ahead. Do NOT jump this second drop -- there are all manner of hidden rocks and boulders underneath the surface.

We ran Lost Creek the same day; earlier in the morning. Its about 30min away on FR 11.

All condition reports

Date	Quality	Waterflow	Wetsuit	Difficulty	Time	Team	Reported by
14 Sep 2024	Great	Moderate Low	Full wetsuit	Easy	2 hours	2 people Beginner to Intermediate	Motovlogmatt (9 reports)
Comment: This canyon is no very technical as far as rope work goes, but its still lots of fun! Easy exit and approach(we did the shorter approach) lots of fun jumps and swims! This canyon is great this time of year when panther and big alder don't have much flow. We paired this with lost creek and had a great day out in canyons! The anchors were in great shape. Just a reminder there is a huge boulder in the water on R3. it looks so easy to slide/jump but the hidden rock in the water would for sure get you.
5 Aug 2023	Great	Moderate Low	Thin wetsuit	Normal		3 people	K arc (373 reports)
Comment: Quartzville is fun as always. We had a romp with much swimming. More folks from Portland should make an effort to come down and run this one. The new bolt at R2b (now R3) is a nice addition. It looks to have been bent by flood events, but is still usable and makes the canyon a little safer. Sidebar commentary: the anchors are primarily glue-in bolts, but, oddly, are linked with chains which is unnecessary in PNW canyons. It'd be better to keep the bolts unlinked as Quartzville clearly sees massive flooding during the winter and tosses old-growth logs around like matchsticks. Any material linking the bolts is liable to catch flood debris. The force of the water leveraged against the bolts can weaken, damage, or even destroy the anchors. We left the bolts as-is, but it'd be much better to remove any connective material. Ropes can be threaded directly through the eye of both bolts and blocked. (In the Desert SW, one should absolutely not do this per the issue of dirty ropes damaging the bolts when the rope is pulled. This is not really an issue in the PNW. Alternatively, a quick link could be left on each bolt if really concerned about damage to the glue-ins.) It's good to keep an absolute minimum of material on bolts when they're situated in the flood zone.
11 Jul 2021	Great	Moderate	Thin wetsuit	Normal		3 people	K arc (373 reports)
Comment: Pioneered a new route that drops you in right above the entrance to the Gorge. Probably cuts out an hour of creek-walking from the original entrance.
3 Jul 2021	Great	Moderate	Thin wetsuit	Easy	3 hours	8 people Intermediate to Advanced	Mads (61 reports)
Comment: Quartzville is really fun at this level with lots of jumps and enough current to give you a nice push through the big pools. Our favorite was the diving board off a giant log jam into a deep pool. All anchors in great condition.
30 Aug 2020	Great	Moderate Low	Full wetsuit	Easy	3 hours	2 people Brand new to Beginner	WetWilly (1 reports)
Comment: Great day out in Quartzville Creek, water was cold but flow was very manageable for a pair of beginners. Followed beta with no issues, R1 bolt in good condition and R2 webbing anchor rigged by a previous group was in good condition.
16 Aug 2020	Amazing	Moderate Low	Full wetsuit	Easy	3 hours	6 people Beginner to Expert	Michelle (60 reports)
Comment: We were all blown away by the completely unexpected fun in this canyon. After doing the Parkett/Lost combination for 5+ years, had never been down this stretch and it was absolutely incredible -- so much fun jumping and swimming in the pools. The water on the sunny Aug day was mod-low, and absolutely freezing cold. 5mm wetsuit recommended. Everyone in the group went without a pack except for 2 people in the group carrying group gear. Not one part of the trip could be complained about -- 5 min approach and exit. One of the best bangs for your buck you could ever hope for in a canyon.
17 Aug 2019	Great	Low	Thin wetsuit	Easy		3 people Beginner to Advanced	Norhex (24 reports)
Comment: FFD (first fishing descent) completed 8/17/19. Great narrows, jumps, and rock features. Fish were biting.
3 Aug 2019	Great	Moderate Low					Isaacman 01 (8 reports)
2 Sep 2018	Great	Moderate Low	Full wetsuit			2 people Intermediate	Isaacman 01 (8 reports)
Comment: This canyon is legit. Its one of my favorites around. We had a blast
11 Aug 2018	Good	Moderate Low	Thin wetsuit	Easy	4 hours	2 people Brand new to Intermediate	Sbrown (17 reports)
Comment: I'm sorry... this did nothing for me. It was beautiful, but the rappels were short and awkward. Only a few jumps. No slides worth mentioning. Really thought there were going to be more slides. Maybe in higher water? Basically it was a long river walk with a few "good parts" but nothing that was really amazing. We did the alt-exit, go up the drainage a little bit and then crawl onto the shelf - then up the side of the hill... CAKE!
10 Sep 2017	Great	Moderate Low	Thin wetsuit	Normal		2 people Intermediate to Advanced	K arc (373 reports)
Comment: We entered via the described shortcut, but it's still a good hour of hiking along the creek before you reach the gorge proper. It'd be good to find another way in to get right into the good stuff. Amazing set of narrows, pools, falls, and rock formations. Be aware: R2 is a chained rappel. We pulled our rope down prematurely before realizing there was another 5ft drop just ahead. Do NOT jump this second drop -- there are all manner of hidden rocks and boulders underneath the surface. We ran Lost Creek the same day; earlier in the morning. Its about 30min away on FR 11.