Conditions:St. Vrain Slide-20210314201751

Latest:	16 May 2020 (5 yrs, 4 mos ago)

Reported by:	Geomorphdan (18 reports)
Quality:	Good
Waterflow:	Low
Wetsuit:	Rain jacket
Water temperature:
Difficulty:
Time:	4 hours

Team: 2 people with experience level Advanced to Expert

Trip report URL:

Comments: First known descent. Warm day, low water, and the water was decently warm. Wore a rain jacket for the last drop, but ended up not getting super wet anyway. Fleece was totally fine. Flowers were pretty sweet along the Dry St. Vrain trail.

On the approach, found some cairns and followed them for a bit, but not sure that they were any better than just taking a bearing to the start of the canyon and walking straight at it cross-country.

Ended up doing 4 raps. 3 were fiddlesticks off trees. For the last drop, we still fiddlesticked something, but won't say, as finding it and figuring out how to get a rope around it was super fun. Probably the coolest thing we've fiddlesticked. Message me if you want the beta, but since figuring it out was so fun, don't post it publicly.

Initially thought the bolts at the end were form a previous first descent, but then decided that they were likely placed by climbers, who are active in this area at certain times of year.

Hoping we can hit it again when the flow is a bit higher - it would be a lot more exciting!

All condition reports

Date	Quality	Waterflow	Wetsuit	Difficulty	Time	Team	Reported by
28 Jun 2025	Poor	Very Low	None	Easy	3 hours	2 people Expert	Iralewis (18 reports)
Comment: A long approach and return for one mandatory rappel, make this route hard to recommend. Perhaps the comment about being more fun in higher flows applies here. But by late June, the flow was almost non-existent. The exposed slabs in this tributary to North St Vrain Creek can all be downclimbed in dry / low flow conditions. The scenery, however, is impressive. Being that deeply buried in the Front Range granite carved by the North St Vrain Creek is very pretty, but the track has uphill both ways for not a lot of technical canyon action. The final 60' bolted rappel seems to be an unpublished ice climb. I could only find reference to another unbolted 60' pour off called Dry Ice (WI3), which is somewhere else in the area on the North St Vrain Mountain Project page: https://www.mountainproject.com/area/108032639/dry-st-vrain With advice for the the climb Dry Ice being "It's less than 2 miles north of the trailhead and about 600' lower. Look around." perhaps there's another rappel nearby to add to the ropework if making this trek. When exiting the canyon, follow a fisherman's/climber's trail on the south bank of N. St Vrain Creek all the way to the Dry St. Vrain Trail. We had to climb over a large log jam between the bottom of the canyon and the trail, proving that a lot of water can move through the major drainage in floods.
3 May 2024	Good	Low	None	Easy	4 hours	2 people Intermediate to Advanced	Mfrato (1 reports)
Comment: Straightforward but fun little canyon. More of an adventure around a creek than a technical canyon, only one rappel is really needed (and even that could be bypassed). But still a fun time in decent flow, lots of frolicking in the creek and rock jumping over it.
23 Aug 2023	Good	Very Low			4 hours	1 people Intermediate	Brilzon (9 reports)
Comment: Very unique canyon with pretty scenery, in comparison to other nearby “canyons”. Not especially technical, and most drops are easily bypassed or downclimbed, but the rock and area is unique. Final drop is a mandatory rappel with ice climber bolts. Approaching the canyon with the right mindset makes for an enjoyable trip. Water is still at a moderate trickle, enough to keep the rock wet and slippery. Ran it with 3 rappels. About 1 hour approach. 1.5 hours in canyon, an hour break at the river (the river is gorgeous), and somewhere between an hour, and an hour and a half to casually hike the river and back up the trail.
28 Apr 2023	Great	Very Low	None	Normal	3 hours	2 people Brand new to Intermediate	JoshuaDavidHayward (1 reports)
Comment: Moderate trickle. Almost exactly 1 hour approach, 1 hour descent and 1 hour exit. Decent elevation gain bushwhacking on the approach but with some great views. We did use a CEM off a tree in center canyon at the top of the slabby section just to have some fun but everything in the canyon is down-climbable except the final rappel. Rope wiki said up to a 120’ rappel but they must be referring to this slabby section and making it a 3 stage rappel. The final exit rappel just before meeting the North St Vrain river is the only mandatory rap and is about 60 feet from the bolts in the wall RDC. Overall I’d give it a 1.2 star with this flow and the effort far outweighed the reward. I probably won’t do it again.
16 May 2020	Good	Low	Rain jacket		4 hours	2 people Advanced to Expert	Geomorphdan (18 reports)
Comment: First known descent. Warm day, low water, and the water was decently warm. Wore a rain jacket for the last drop, but ended up not getting super wet anyway. Fleece was totally fine. Flowers were pretty sweet along the Dry St. Vrain trail. On the approach, found some cairns and followed them for a bit, but not sure that they were any better than just taking a bearing to the start of the canyon and walking straight at it cross-country. Ended up doing 4 raps. 3 were fiddlesticks off trees. For the last drop, we still fiddlesticked something, but won't say, as finding it and figuring out how to get a rope around it was super fun. Probably the coolest thing we've fiddlesticked. Message me if you want the beta, but since figuring it out was so fun, don't post it publicly. Initially thought the bolts at the end were form a previous first descent, but then decided that they were likely placed by climbers, who are active in this area at certain times of year. Hoping we can hit it again when the flow is a bit higher - it would be a lot more exciting!