Major Creek Gorge
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Red Tape:No permit required Shuttle:None Vehicle:Passenger | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Best season: | July-Sept
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45.7131, -121.3506
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Introduction[edit]
Major Creek is a significant tributary between Bingen and Lyle, WA. The creek has one major falls on the upper west fork and there's a short photogenic section of narrows down where the creek meets the Columbia River.
This is definitely not a major objective, but is a nice place to stop for a quick visit on your way to/from somewhere else. Most enjoyable in the late summer for a quick romp or for some training. Area may be frequented by locals on hot summer weekends. Expect swimming. As of late summer 2016: no gear was required for the descent. The gorge could be more serious in high water. Beware scattered poison oak throughout the area.
Approach[edit]
Driving[edit]
Head east on I-84 and cross the Hood River Bridge into Washington State. Turn right on Hwy 14 and continue for 5.8mi before turning left on the Lyle–White Salmon Rd. Continue for 2.1mi to Major Creek. Cross the creek and park in a large pullout on the left side.
Entry[edit]
From the parking area, cross the road and locate an eroded user trail leading down a steep bank to a swimming hole just south of the road. Cross the pool and head downstream.
Descent[edit]
The walls close in as you enter a scenic narrows. Expect wading, rock-hopping, and scrambling. After a few minutes, reach a big pool. Here the creek swings right/west and opens momentarily. There's an easy exit here, but things get interesting ahead. The rock walls close in again and the narrows gets deeper. Nice and shady on a hot summer's day. Very short.
- 8ft downclimb into a pool.
- 8ft downclimb / slide into a pool.
- 6ft into a pool. Can be a swimmer sometimes.
Exit[edit]
After the final pool, the canyon widens and swings left/south. There are two options for exiting:
- The easiest is to follow the creek south another minute and scramble out DCL via a dry channel. Follow slopes on the south side of the creek back up to the road.
- Alternately, one can scramble up the nose immediately DCR at the exit of the narrows. There may be an old fixed rope hanging here. 35ft of class 3-4. Once on the rim, follow user trails back to your car.
Red tape[edit]
None.