Ropewiki:Washout Waterslide

Also known as: Washout Falls.

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Difficulty:‌3C1 II (v3a4 II)

Swift water

Raps:‌5, max ↨220ft

Metric

Overall:

Red Tape:‌No permit required

Shuttle:‌None

Vehicle:Passenger

Rock type:Granite

Start:

46.3935, -121.8391

Parking:

46.3895, -121.8353

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Condition Reports:

19 Mar 2025

"Opening this canyon was fun, a very easy run with some quick fire fun rappels. Should be combined with Galena next door for a full day of cold water s

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Best season:

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Regions:

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Welcome! Canyons in the Pacific Northwest can be different from those you might be used to. Be ready for unlinked bolts, retrievable traverse lines, and challenging aquatic environments. For more on local practices, and the best way to get started in the region, check out the WCC Safety page.

Unlinked Bolts - groups should be comfortable rigging unlinked bolts, either temporarily linking them for all but the last person, or using a passive redundancy method. Most importantly, if you find two bolts side by side that are unlinked, do not add webbing to them. Linking bolts designed to be unlinked will likely cause damage during seasonal floods.

Traverse Lines - many canyons are rigged to allow traverse line access to an exposed anchor station. This should be done using self-belay or team belay techniques. Do not leave fixed lines in the canyons.

Challenging Environments - the highly aquatic nature of PNW canyons can surprise many. Cold temperatures, slippery rocks, loud waterfalls, and strong currents all lead to unexpected problems. Do not underestimate the need for strong team work and technical proficiency. Belays are frequently not possible. Unattended gear will sink or float away. Sliding and jumping is the cause of most major injuries, so it's critical to effectively communicating water depth & submerged hazards.

Introduction

This fun little run is a perfect way to start the day combined with nearby Galena Creek. The final rappel is in clear view of the road and parking is 50 yards from the falls....EASY EXIT!!! I named it the warm up as it would be a great full day in the area starting here before Galena, also if you run this early, the parking will be really sunny and warm you up as this water is quite cool.

Approach

The approach we chose was just before the bend in the road, right before the falls become visible. Scramble up a steep loose rocky game trail that goes up for quite a ways. Work your way up to about 2600ft staying away from the creek to avoid the cliffs. Traverse at that point crossing one small drainage and then continue down to the main creek. This approach drops you right above a small downclimb above R1. It is possible to skip R1 and R2, drop down a little earlier and start with R3 which is the 1st big drop in the canyon. The creek is surprisingly grippy so starting out at R1 does not add much time and offers a nice area to dress out and get a feel for water temps.

Descent

R1 - 17ft in flow rappel from a small tree DCR just above the lip of the falls.

R2 - 20ft rappel with additional 5ft slide to a shallow pool. Multiple trees to choose from for anchors.

R3 - 80ft rappel, anchor (webbing & QL) set from tree DCL about 8 ft back from the falls. This anchor gives you a dry line option and an inflow route. To stay dry just go directly in the fall line off the cliff and stay clear of the falls or rap around the tree that is just DCL of the falls which act as a natural redirect and puts you in the flow the entire way down.

R4 - 2 ramps, upper is a slight angle 20ft followed by a much steeper 35ft ramp. Multiple anchors to choose from, but we set webbing with rappel ring off a tree DCR.

R5 - 100ft rappel, wide waterfall with options for what inflow line would be most fun. This final R would be a great candidate for bolts to help break up the last sequence of drops.

we went all the way from R4 to the bottom of R5 which requires about 425ft of rope to complete. I think bolting the final R is a much better option and makes this easier to run only needing one 70m rope to complete this canyon.

Exit

Walk down creek 50 yards to car, when standing near the culvert facing down creek, look to your right and you'll see the view of Langille Peak for which this run is named.

Red tape

Beta sites

Trip reports and media

Background

First descended by Lorenzo Valdez and Clint Clow Hangtime in April 2025