Sydney Falls Canyoneering Canyoning Caving
Also known as: Needle Creek, Kotsuck Creek.
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https://www.worldwaterfalldatabase.com/waterfall/Sydney-Falls-5358
46.8404, -121.5590https://ropewiki.com/images/b/b8/Sydney_Falls.kmltopo
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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.
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Introduction[edit]
Sydney Falls consists of wide sheets of bedrock, which water rolls over and down a series of medium & large steep ramps. Waterfallsdb states it's on Kotsuck Creek, but maps call it Needle Creek.
It's a very visually appealing waterfall, but in practice one hard to enjoy canyoning. Enjoyable natural anchor placements are confounded by the width & height of the falls.
After Sydney falls the creek briefly narrows, then continues downstream with much creek walking and the occasional moderately interesting feature.
There's a brief spurt of interesting features at the junction of Boundary Creek & Needle Creek. An alternative suggestion to interested parties would be to leave the approach trail when crossing Boundary Creek, and drop down into the river there. There jumps to do, and gorgeous pools in hang around in, before creek walking downstream. You could avoid bringing technical gear too.
Upstream of the Boundary Creek bridge needs exploring yet!
tl;dr - 4* beauty, 2* canyoning
Top of R1 after nice hike in
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Some of fun pools near junction with Boundary Creek
Approach[edit]
The approach along the Owyhigh Lakes Trail is excellent. A lovely trail to follow at a consistently moderate gradient. Given the high potential but inevitably disappointing canyon, it's probably fair to say the trail is one of the highlights of the route.
Descent[edit]
Red tape[edit]
Beta sites[edit]
https://www.worldwaterfalldatabase.com/waterfall/Sydney-Falls-5358
Trip reports and media[edit]
Background[edit]
First descended 4th Aug 2024 by Adam Bercaw, Cole Anderson, Seth Kirby & Hereward Cooper.
46.8404, -121.5590
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