East Canyon Creek
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| | Raps:1-3, max ↨60ft
Red Tape:No permit required Shuttle:None Vehicle:Passenger Rock type:Basalt | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Condition Reports: | 7 Aug 2025
"Gorgeous canyon. This one rivals Davis in my opinion. Loved it. The hike out sucks, but it’s well worth it. I echo everything Trey said. Tributary r |
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| Best season: | June-Sept
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46.3454, -121.7041
46.3460, -121.7107
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Waterflow
Introduction[edit]
The USFS has identified sensitive species breeding in East Canyon Creek between April 15-July 31. Please do not descend this canyon until August or later
East Canyon Creek is a short canyon with three rapid-fire drops into beautiful pools. The final drop takes you into a deep pool and a short beautiful set of narrows before exiting into the Cispus River. This route could be combined with other nearby canyons, such as Davis Creek or Dark Creek, for a full day of canyoning.
- As always, do not jump unless you've scouted the pool first. Creeks are very dynamic. The place which was a good jump last year may no longer be if the pool is filled in with rocks, sand, impaling logs hidden under the surface, etc.
Approach[edit]
Classic Route[edit]
Park on the shoulder of FR-23. Bushwhack 0.5mi to the rim of the canyon and then descend 200' into the canyon via a steep draw just upstream of R1. (Alternately, find a place to rappel in.) Note, the track that goes directly east is misleading as the contours push you left and down and make it very difficult and unpleasant to side-hill over to the drop in. It is recommended to head a couple hundred feet south on pavement and then start your bushwack arcing south and easterly to the drop in. There are several hills and dales.
Tributary Entrance[edit]
A somewhat nicer entrance on the east side of the creek with more bushwacking which gives you +1 rappel. Drop a car on FR-2322, bushwack due north, and enter via the tributary creek. The trib had low water in late July 2022. This approach is slightly longer.
- R0a - 25ft from tree DCR to rebelay. (Or 150ft in one pitch.)
- R0b - 115ft from tree DCL.
Descent[edit]
- R1: 35' rappel from tree DCL, or 15’ jump DCL or 30’ jump DCR into deep wide pool. From 30' shallow entry technique is needed.
- R2: 40’ dry Rappel from a single bolt high DCL or 30’ jump DCL some years. The bolt is awkward to get to and is exposed to fall until the anchor manager can clip in their tether. OR 30' from pinch webbing DCL. The fun rappel line is done by pulling the webbing to the right to rappel through the rabbit hole into a rain room and then proceed down a low angle cascade in the flow. It is grippy and easier than it looks. Last person will have to rappel dry on the left though in order to pull the rope. The anchor may be underwater in high flow, so be prepared to rebuild the anchor every year. As of summer 2023, the pool below was only 6-8 feet deep in most places but there was a 10' hole under the whitewater. Take extra caution when jumping.
- R3: 60’ off bolts high DCL. Use caution accessing the bolts. This is a very rare opportunity to short rope into a deep and wide pool that is typically 20-25 feet deep with no hazards. Short roping up to 20' can be done comfortably as the bottom 20' is a vertical wall. There is also a great high jump opportunity from a wide ledge about 20' down that makes for a 40’ jump. In low flow can be rappelled in the flow using an alternate anchor DCR off a pinch or deadman you will have to make. The current at the bottom of the rappel tends to push people away from the base of the falls, so it's recommended to extend the pull side ahead of time. This allows you to pull from a better position on the far side of the pool as the pool is large and deep and a sizable swim to solid ground.
Exit[edit]
Continue through the short set of narrows until you reach the Cispus River. Traverse the downriver along the bank for about 300 yards (~0.2mi) before cutting uphill on a faint game trail through the brush. The brush clears up once underneath the tree canopy and follow the obvious game trail upward about 200ft to the top of the hill. The trail mostly disappears at this point, although it's a fairly flat easy bushwhack about 0.25mi back to your car.
If you did the tributary entrance and did not leave a shuttle car you can exit by going upstream along the Cispus for about twenty yards from the confluence. Look for a light steep game trail in the ferns. This is a steep loose trail with several exposed areas and is a tough climb but it will take you back to the top of the ridge where you can bushwack south to your car on the 2322 road. This climb and bushwack will take about an hour.
Red tape[edit]
None.
Beta sites[edit]
Trip reports and media[edit]
July 2023
Background[edit]
This canyon was first descended on 7/15/2018 by Jake Huddleston and Pt Choate.