Spencer Creek
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| | Raps:3-7, max ↨105ft
Red Tape: Shuttle:None Vehicle:Passenger | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Best season: | Spring
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46.1488, -121.9179
46.1453, -121.8953
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Weather forecast
Waterflow
Introduction
Catch this one in Spring to get flow, otherwise it will be more of a trickle by mid-summer. R2, R5, and R6 are still fun in June. If Cussed right next store is running too high, this could be a worthy stop which shares much of the approach.
Approach
From Crab Creek parking area follow the Lewis River Trail west to the Bluff Trail. Follow the Bluff Trail for about 1 mile to where it flattens out a little bit around 2850 ft. Drop off the trail south through mostly open forest, you are aiming for the ridge shown on the map. Once on the ridge you will find a well-traveled game trail. Take a quick left to check out some interesting rock formations and some massive, petrified logs frozen in time in the rocks. Continue down the ridge past a couple gullies and follow mostly open forest to the creek. Brush gets a little thicker right at the bottom. If you come out at the right place there is some nice bedrock next to the creek to change on.
Descent
R1: 15ft or downclimb on rocks DCR into short narrows
R2: 50ft from cairn in middle of creek. Several logs in pitch. Recommend throwing pull cord over the top.
Short creek walk.
Note: there is a waterfall on a tributary that comes in DCR above R3. I climbed up and looked at it and it's not worth the effort, looks way more exciting on Lidar than it is.
R3: 25ft pending what you use for an anchor or just downclimb the chute DCR. Not very deep.
R4: 20ft pending what you use as an anchor or just downclimb rocks DCL. Not very deep.
R5: 105ft from webbing on log wedged in pool. 65M rope barely makes it for rap and pull if rope length for rap is set above water. Chest deep.
Downclimb into small narrows above R6.
R6: 80ft from webbing on tree DCL. Watch for bees nest in the rock to the left of the anchor. They left us alone. House sized boulder garden below this rappel. Careful throwing rope, might fall down a hole.
Boulder hop and downclimb where-ever is easiest, staying mostly DCL is the best. After a little bit will find another short narrows.
R7: 15ft in the narrows can be rapped, downclimbed, or bypassed easily.
Exit
Shortly after the final narrows you will find some remnants of the old bridge in the creek. Find some rocks to take off your gear and top down on your wetsuit. Find an easy way up the bank DCL to the old road grade. Follow this road grade to the Bluff Trail and back to the car. There are several places where the road becomes faint and a little hard to follow, one of which is at an open intersection, and a couple others when crossing drainages. When you are getting close to the Bluff Trail drop down off the road and bushwhack 100 ft to the trail.
Red tape
Between June 15 and Sept 30, a reservation permit is required to park along a 14mi stretch of FR 90. Parking in this area is limited to one of six different recreational sites with a limited number of permits issued for each day. Reservation Permits are available from recreation.gov.
- Map of the restricted parking area: https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd910851.pdf
- The best parking area is Crab Creek. (Parking at the Lower Lewis Falls will also require a NW Forest Pass.)
Beta sites
Trip reports and media
Background
Discovered by waterfall local Zach Forsyth. First descended by Clint Clow and Lorenzo Valdez June 23rd 2025.