Game Hog Creek
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| | Raps:3, max ↨50ft
Red Tape:No permit required Shuttle:None Vehicle:Passenger | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Best season: | Spring
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45.6186, -123.4384
45.6173, -123.4373
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Waterflow
Introduction[edit]
The short lower canyon on Game Hog Creek has been on my list to check out for awhile. There is an upper ramp about 70ft tall and 100ft long that is pretty to look at. I marked it on the map and can be a gauge of the flow. If you cross the bridge there is a little spot to park and a boot path down the bank to the top. If you walk the road further downstream there is a boot path to the bottom as well.
The lower canyon is rather scenic with some smooth bedrock and moss carpet. R1 is part of a long cliff band with a undercut section DCR of the falls. It would be interesting to see this area at higher flow as the chest deep pool at the base of R1 could be a hydraulic and R3 would be quite pushy.
Not really a destination of it's own, but if in the area and/or passing through looking for a quick fix, I think it's worth a rip.\
- Watershed: 1.1mi^2.
Approach[edit]
Follow Hwy 6 from Portland and turn off onto Larch Mountain / Drift Creek Rd, cross the bridge and turn left. There is a new large parking lot on the right which is a good place to drop some cars/carpool. Follow the road for 1.4 miles and make a sharp left turn onto a side road. Follow this road to the end and park. Suit up here. Walk back up the road about 800 feet to a small saddle and find a good place to head off left into the bushes. It's brushy at first but push on through, shortly after it gets steep you should cross a well travelled game trail, follow this to the bottom. Total hike takes about 10 min. Walk a short distance downstream to the top of R1.
Descent[edit]
R1: 45ft drop, tree anchor DCL back from the lip into chest deep pot hole at the bottom that could be interesting at high flow. At lower flow you can land on the smooth bed rock DCL and walk out.
R2: 20ft drop, tree anchor DCL back from the lip
Warning: there is a v-shaped slot in the rock on the edge of a small pool before the lip that will catch a block. We used a tied two-ring runner and it got caught, pic below. Thankfully there is a log pile DCL that we were able to climb up and retrieve.
R3: 30ft drop, placed webbing on tree DCR at the lip. Large log in the middle of the drop
Exit[edit]
Below R3, follow the creek downstream for about 1/4 mile to a small cascade down a narrow slot in the bedrock. This is a good place to remove your gear, and unzip your wetsuit. What follows is a 550 ft climb out DCL. In places are there are game trails to follow but they end up taking you a little further downstream. Find whatever is the easiest way up. The bushes get a little thicker at the top but sticker bushes are a minimum. Once you reach the ridge there will be an old road grade. Follow it north with some more bushwhacking back to your car.
It looks like you may be able to exit DCL shortly after R3. Looking at lidar it may cliff out at the top, so we took the longer/easier route downstream.
Red tape[edit]
None
Beta sites[edit]
Trip reports and media[edit]
Background[edit]
There were remnants of visitors as well as previous logging activity. The upper ramp was descended by Portland locals April 17th, 2021. For these purposes I will say the lower canyon was first descended May 27th, 2023 by Clint Clow Hangtime, Wade Hewitt Wade, and Elisabeth Bishop.
