Rock Creek (Alternate, South Cascades)
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| | Raps:9-10, max ↨200ft
Red Tape:No permit required Shuttle:Optional 1mi Vehicle:Passenger | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Condition Reports: | 26 May 2025
"Descended Alt-Rock to main Rock. The massive ramp of Ski Jump Falls is pretty unique and Rock itself would get run all the time if access was easier. |
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| Best season: | Jul-Sep (avg for this region)
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45.7866, -122.0532
45.7735, -122.0415
45.7658, -122.0286
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Introduction[edit]
This is a tributary / alternate "shortcut" approach to Rock Creek in Skamania. It enters just above R4 in Rock Creek's technical section. You'll miss the first three rappels, but this approach makes up for it with: 1) an easier/shorter approach, and 2) an opportunity to descend a monster 300ft+ ramping waterfall. The cover photo is only the lower 2/3rds of this gigantic falls.
- If anyone gets in there in the spring, would be cool to see a shot of Ski Jump Falls in high water.
Directions[edit]
From the Bridge of the Gods, turn right on Hwy 14 and continue 1.5mi east to turn off left/north towards Skamania Lodge on Rock Creek Dr. Turn left again in 0.3mi onto SW Foster Creek Rd. Continue 0.4mi and continue straight onto SW Ryan Allen Rd for another 0.5mi before turning left again onto Red Bluff Rd (becomes gravel). Follow Red Bluff Rd for 5.7mi to a bridge across Rock Creek. Continue west on Red Bluff Rd for 1.5mi to a junction where the main road swings left to cross a second bridge over Rock Creek. (This is probably the best checkpoint for flow on the creek.) About 0.8mi past the second bridge on Red Bluff Rd to reach an unsigned junction (Jct 1380). Here, turn right on an unnamed gravel road for 0.5mi. On driving up the hill watch for the place where the PCT crosses. This is the exit. The parking area is 200ft further up the road; a large pullout on the left with room for several vehicles. Road is rocky in places, but okay for 2WD if driven slowly.
- A Washington State Discovery Pass is NOT required to park here.
- This is also the trailhead for the Upper North Fork of Rock Creek.
Approach[edit]
From the lower parking area, either walk or shuttle 1mi further up the road to a turnaround in an old clearcut. There are a number of unsigned junctions, so having a map is handy.
There is no trail from the turnaround. Just bushwhack your way uphill to the northwest for about 0.1mi (150ft elevation gain) wherever is easiest to meet the old Snag Creek trail. Not that USGS maps are not accurate in showing the location of the trail. It actually runs atop the ridgecrest and is obvious when you find it. As of 2017 it was obvious that someone had done recent maintenance on it. Follow the trail left / northwest for ~1.5mi. The trail switchbacks up onto the plateau, gaining about 600ft, before flattening out and becoming easy hiking. Pass a large signboard where you pass from DNR land to National Forest. Small wooden posts also mark the mileage. The second post is a good marker to break off trail and bushwhack your way down to drop into the Alt Rock tributary.
Descent[edit]
Head downstream through some nice sections of bedrock.
- 10ft. Rappel or downclimb.
- Ski Jump Falls (R2-R4)
Emerging from the forest, the tributary plunges over what is probably a giant 300ft high, multi-tier falls, shedding all of its elevation in one go. In exploring in summer 2017, we ended out doing three rappels to get down, each time running a 60m rope almost all the way out to the end per the horizontal distance involved. The falls has a lot of ramping; beware getting off the rope prematurely. Slipping and going for a tumble would be a really bad idea most of the way down. This falls must be really impressive when it sees high water.
- R2: Anchored off a convenient tree DCR. Rappelled down the first vertical pitch to the ramp and then down the ramp almost to the brink of the next vertical pitch. Exited the creek to a safe location DCL. Uses about 175ft of rope.
- R3 Anchored off a tree DCL. Brushy dry rappel down through the shrubbery left of the watercourse. (Next time we need to look at remaining in the flow, but we weren't sure it was a good option from above.) Used about 150ft of rope. Beware loose rock.
- R4: Hanging rappel from a sizeable tree mid-way down the second tier. Established fixed anchor on a tree to rappel all the way to the bottom of the falls -- again using almost the entire length of a 60m rope.
Continue downstream passing through occasional areas of bedrock. It's a bit of a walk. The lower end of the tributary involves a lot of boulder-hopping.
R5: 15ft down a ramp into the main fork of Rock Creek. Downclimb carefully or rappel.
You will enter the main stem of Rock Creek a short distance above R4. The flow will likely quadruple at this point.
Exit[edit]
You're not done yet. There are still five more rappels, plus a long hike out (~2mi). The rest of the beta is on the [1] page.
Red tape[edit]
None
Beta sites[edit]
Trip reports and media[edit]
Background[edit]
In 2017, Kevin Clark and Kaitlin Rupert did a first descent of the alternate tributary entrance of Rock Creek (dubbed "Alt-Rock") and descended Ski Jump Falls.