Davis Creek Canyon
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| | Raps:5-10, max ↨120ft
Red Tape:No permit required Shuttle:Optional 10 min Vehicle:Passenger | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Condition Reports: | 25 May 2026
"Conditions remarkably similar to ~3 weeks ago.. Completed previously reported anchor maintenance, everything should be in great shape. Also added |
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| Best season: | Jul-Sept
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46.5444, -121.8133
46.5454, -121.8114
46.5373, -121.8123
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Weather forecast
Waterflow
Introduction
Davis Creek is a classic canyon that always rates as one of the best in Washington. Its beauty is expressed in the deeply incised basalt gorge, abundant moss and ferns, and plentiful waterfalls. Not particularly long (short approach and exit), and not particularly difficult in low to moderate water levels (most pitches are bolted), this canyon is still quite technical, committing, and can be sporting / dangerous in high water. The canyon sports five mandatory rappels of high quality, and three noteworthy jumps in the range of 15-25ft, plus several more smaller ones. With a five minute approach and ten minute exit, this canyon has one of the lowest pay-to-play options anywhere.
Davis Creek is located within both private property and Gifford Pinchot National Forest in Lewis County, Washington. It forms the drainage basin on the south flank of Purcell Mountain, with Cockscomb Mountain and Prairie Mountain on the west, and Davis Mountain on the east.
Waterflow
The bridge over Davis Creek is the checkpoint for waterflow level, as shown in the reference photos. If you see significantly more water, descending the canyon is not recommended. A possible, unconfirmed escape route before R3 (Davis Creek Falls) may exist, so consider this if the waterflow in the easier beginning part of the canyon seems very high. After descending R3, you may be committed to completing the canyon, which could be quite dangerous in high water.
- A second exit found about 60ft above R5: a deer trail on canyon right leading to the canyon rim, with minor scrambling.
- Expect very cold water even in the middle of summer, but not as cold as glacier melt.
- The closest gauge for water flow appears to be USGS: 14231900 CISPUS RIVER AB YELLOWJACKET CREEK NR RANDLE, WA. However there are still some nuances and getting a visual from the bridge will be your best indication of flows.
- Watershed: ~7.3mi^2. The highest point in the watershed is Purcell Mountain at ~5400ft.
Best Practices
- Teaching people to rappel for the first time in an aquatic canyon is not a good plan. Much better and safer to become fully proficient with rappel devices outside the canyon in a safe dry environment.
- Two strand rappels (as is done in alpine climbing) can be dangerous in aquatic canyons. Excess rope can be an entanglement hazard in deep pools, the two strands can get coiled around one another to create an obstacle that a rappeller cannot pass, etc. Taking a class in aquatic canyon techniques is strongly recommended.
- Beginners "leading" beginners is a common cause of accidents in canyoneering. Enthusiasm is not a substitute for training by a competent qualified instructor.
Approach
Lower Parking
From the junction of Hwy 12 and Hwy 131 in Randle, WA: head east on Hwy 12 for 5.9mi and turn off left/north on Davis Creek Rd. (Be aware: Davis Creek Rd intersects Hwy 12 in two places, but bridge linking the two appears to have been washed out by Davis Creek, so accesss is only possible from the western end.) Follow Davis Creek Rd for 1.1mi to a large "Road Closed" sign at the bridge site. FR-63 turns left/north just before the creek. Park at the bridge or just up FR-63 (unpaved, good gravel road) on the righthand shoulder. There is room for several vehicles. There are some houses immediately nearby, so please be courteous to the neighbors and locals.
Upper Parking
From the lower parking area, either drive (5min) or hike the road (40min) to the upper parking area.
- At 0.6mi up the road is a bridge crossing Davis Creek. This is the water level checkpoint. If water levels are safe, continue another 0.9mi up the road. Where the road starts to curve back east, there's a huge grassy pullout on the right/east side of the road. Park here.
Hiking In
Directly across the road from the upper parking area, find a faint use trail that leads straight down toward Davis Creek. As you get close enough to hear the creek, the trail is faint and splits. Stay left to head directly down and drop in right in right above R1. If you go right at the split you'll reach the top of a steep embankment, perhaps 50ft high and may need to do a dirty rappel to drop in and will be well above R1.
Descent
R1: 8ft downclimb DCL or rappel 35ft from two unlinked bolts DCR. Can be jumped with shallow entry technique.
R2: 15ft, single bolt DCL. Or depending on flow downclimb or jump. Prior to 2026 this was a huge log jam.
Upper Davis Falls
R3 - approach to Upper Davis Falls:
- 10ft downclimb DCR down steep natural staircase.
- Alt: use log or tree to rappel down.
R4 access: 15ft traverse line from unlinked bolts DCR.
R4 - Upper Davis Falls: chain-linked anchor DCR.
R4 can be done dry in 1-pitch, or wet in 2-pitches. Either way, a redirect/deviation anchor helps you stay out of the main flow.
- Wet line: Rappel 80ft onto the rib leading to bolts at the pool pouroff. There is an unlinked bolt station (R4+) right at the pour-over of the second tier. From this anchor, the second tier is about 40ft. You can rappel either in the flow or around the flow to a dry landing. Get off rappel halfway down the chute onto a 5" wide ledge for a 20ft jump. The pool is typically 15ft deep or more. Check for wood or new boulders.
- Dry line: Dry rappel 120ft staying DCR and bypassing the big pool and R4b. Use caution when setting the pull line as there's a crack up near the top that can catch and hold a block. As this rappel is mostly out of the water, it may be best to have the last person rappel two-strand to avoid snagging your rope.
Continue downstream to where a narrow hallway forms.
Middle Section
R5 - the v-slot: 40ft from an unlinked double anchor high-up DCR. In higher flow there's a single bolt way back for a traverse line.
There's a boulder in the pool below which migrated its way down the v-slot over many years, see photos further down the page.
R6 - the plunge pool (pothole #1): Slide DCR in the flow, jump from anywhere, or rappel from unlinked double anchor DCL. Unless you know it's clear, always depth check.
Exit the pool using either a pair of bolts DCL, or a risky slide into a deep pool.
R7 - the roundy pool (pothole #2): 10ft jump from DCL, check depth first. Or rappel 20ft from bolts DCR. The waterfall can create a clockwise horizontal recirculating hydraulic in the pool that can be overcome with proper technique. Recommended to zip-line packs.
- Low to Moderate Water: Rappel into the pool. You will land in the whitewater, but it will push you away quickly. Swim DCL to avoid the recirculation and exit the pool.
- High Water: One option is to rappel most of the way down, then flat jump out toward the exit of the pool to avoid the hydraulic. Send the strongest swimmer first (without pack) to swim aggressively DCL to exit the pool. Once the first person has reached safety, throw down the pull side of the rope (secured) in a bag. The first person down can use the pull side of the rope as a zip-line for the packs and as a throw rope (throw the floating bag) for people to grab onto and pull themselves out of the pool. In extreme cases, set up a guided rappel using a potshot (there are several small stones available, but be ready for an alternative if they are gone) and throw the potshot across the pool.
At the exit pour-over there's a small threaded anchor DCR to use as a handhold to assist in dropping down out of the pool.
As you round the corner look up to see the bridge far above.
Lower Section
R8 - Lower Davis Falls: 50ft from bolts high DCR. Extending the pull side (need ~70ft of rope) makes for an easier pull (i.e. no need to be swimming / treading water at the bottom while attempting the pull). There was a redirect, please do NOT reinstall. Instead, step over the lip of the waterfalls and continue down DCL. You will land in a hanging pothole and have a dry landing spot. The old redirect put you in the same place. This is part of the private land and the landowner doesn’t want to see webbing that appears to be trash.
- Low to Moderate Water: walk down the chute into the tiny pool and get on a platform DCR at the pouroff to get on rope.
- High Water: set up a hand line to reach the anchor. The hydraulic at the bottom of this falls is the strongest in the canyon. Setting rope length 3-5ft above the whitewater when unweighted is critical. Each rappeller should pause before entering the strong flow and pull up the rope to make sure no knots have formed in the end.
Pass under the bridge. If you see any trash in here, please help us keep the canyon clean by packing it out.
Jump: 6ft from top of falls. Or downclimb carefully DCR. Or rappel from a log DCL.
R9: 15ft from single bolt DCL, or sketchy slide.
R10 - Exit Cave: 25ft from two-bolt anchor DCL up in the rocks.
- Low to Moderate Water: Rappel down to an enormous house-sized boulder. Don't miss the rabbit hole and small cave.
- High Water: Rappel around the boulder DCL.
Jump: 8ft from top of the waterfall, landing just past the whitewater.
Exit
Shortly after the last rappel the canyons opens up. Climb the scree slope DCR to reach the road where you parked the vehicle.
Red tape
FR-63 passes through a large parcel of private property en route to the upper parking area. Please respect all postings and be courteous to the locals.
Beta sites
- https://www.canyoningthe406.com/daviscreek
- CanyoneeringNorthwest.com (archive.org)
- Super Amazing Map
Trip reports and media
Davis Oct 2023:
Davis 2008:
Davis Sept 2023 (chapters in this video match the Ropewiki beta):
Davis July 2016 (was considered "extreme" flow at the time):
- Facebook album from June 23, 2016 at extreme levels
- Davis at moderate levels
- +
The Power of Water
Davis sees extreme flow during the winter months, capable of re-arranging the entire canyon. Logjams get moved around and, in 2020, the giant boulder (size of a small car) that was just below R5 abruptly disappeared. It's now underwater at the bottom of a new rappel. Here are a few pics of the boulder from 2017 to 2020:
Background
From Canyoneering Northwest:
The first known descent was made by Matt Bannon and Paul Bauer in September 2002. It was a bold undertaking and was among the first known technical canyoneering descents in Washington. The anchor situation was especially problematic for the first descent party. At one point they had to pre-place a 300 foot rope from the canyon rim in order to do a rappel and then retrieve it later. Robert Cobb made the second known descent in 2004 and improved the anchor situation.
A giant Sequoia sapling has been planted in memory of Luca Chiarabini in Davis Creek. It is tucked away DCL in-between the second swirling pothole and before the rappel beneath the bridge. Please water it if you’re in the canyon and send any pictures of it to Tiffanie Lin (cinnybear[at]gmail[dot].com).