Thimble Creek
Rating: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raps:7-13, max ↨175ft
Red Tape:No permit required Shuttle:Optional 20 min Vehicle:High Clearance | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Start: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Parking: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Shuttle: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Condition Reports: | 13 Jul 2024
"Checked out new alternate approach to Thimble, following the watercourse out of Blue Lake. Directly down from the lake: one nuisance rappel, two excel |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Best season: | Jul-Sept
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Regions: |
Introduction
A nice open creek with lots of swept bedrock. The descent of the lower section is pretty action-packed without much walking between rappels. There are at least three options:
- Lower Thimble (no shuttle): Park at the bottom and bushwhack your way up to the hanging valley. Requires some route-finding. This is about a half-day outing.
- Full Thimble (shuttle): Shuttle up to Blue Lake and hike in. Expect this outing to take most of the day.
- North Thimble (shuttle): Shuttle up to Blue Lake and hike in. Takes most of a day.
Approach
Lower Thimble
From the Lewis River Horse Camp, follow FR 93 northward for 5.8mi to a T-jct. Turn right on FR 9341 for 0.2mi. You will pass the top of Thimble Creek (good checkpoint). Continue just head to find two decent campsites, one on the left (drive in) and another on the right.
If no shuttle, thrash your way up the north side of the creek and bear over into the hanging valley to begin the first drop at ~3,800 feet. The walk is through a beautiful forest, although the bushwhacking is thick in places. Expect the approach to take at least an hour even for experienced off-trail hikers.
Upper & North Thimble
Return to the T-jct and head south (straight) on FR 93. Continue for ~6mi before taking a sharp right turn onto FR 9331. Follow the main road upwards for ~3mi to locate the unsigned Blue Lake Trailhead. This road has several large berms, so drive caution. High clearance probably best or a 2WD you don't love too much. The shuttle takes about 20min one-way.
At the Blue Lake trailhead, locate the unsigned trail heading off north into the forest. It's obvious when you see it.
- Upper Thimble: follow the trail to Blue Lake, then skirt around the south shore until you find the outlet. Follow downstream a hundred feet or so to R1.
- North Thimble: follow the trail about 1.25mi, looping around the north side of the lake, then gradually ascending slopes beyond. Eventually, bushwhack (easy) over to find Thimble's northern tributary. This trib contains less water and can be pretty dry late in the summer.
Descent
Watch your footing in Thimble as it can be quite slippery.
Upper Thimble
- R1: 30ft nuisance rappel from tree DCR.
- R2: 60ft from tree DCR down a V-slot.
- R3: 150ft from tree DCR. Starts down a gully, then emerges into the middle of the falls. Creeping the rope as the rocks are sharp.
At the bottom of R3, follow the water downstream through an overgrown talus field. The slide alder has grown over the top in places to create sort of a tunnel. This section takes awhile and is the worst part of Thimble. When you can exit the creek DCR/DCL into forested terrain and head downstream a short distance. When the banks start getting steep on either side, drop back into the creek (now wider), and continue a few minutes down to the start of Lower Thimble (R4) - see below.
North Thimble
This is a northern tributary of Thimble that's probably best visited earlier in the year for water. It was a trickle on the FD in September.
Head downstream to arrive at Upper Thimble Falls (N-R1 & N-R2) at around 350ft high. It is rappelled in two stages.
- N-R1: Run the rope out a full 200ft from a big tree DCL atop the falls. The fall drops through several tiers into a large sloping rock bowl. Landing is a marginally flat area not far above the N-R2 drop. Be careful moving around here as the creek is slippery and going for a tumble would be deadly.
DANGER - A dangerously sketchy traverse is currently required to get up to the N-R2 anchor, which is another big tree DCL above the next drop. Getting to the anchor is very difficult/impossible to protect. It would be much better if another rappel station could be established somewhere in the bowl or one of the tiers above. A quality bolt station would make the next stage a lot safer. Options for natural anchors as an approach anchor were limited to non-existent. e
- N-R2: 120ft. Rappelling from the tree is pretty dirty and loose. Beware knocking rocks down on yourself and people below. (Rappelling from this tree would be unnecessary if the anchor situation at the bottom of N-R1 could be improved.)
- N-R3: 125ft not quite vertical. Anchored on a tree DCL.
Short drop: 15ft. Downclimb DCR or rappel.
- N-R4: 60ft. Anchored on a log DCR. Bottom of this rappel is choked with debris - e.g. fallen trees and rocks that have fallen in. Easily bypassed DCR.
- N-R5: 150ft in several tiers. Anchored on a log in middle. Descend a long chute which had a bunch of debris in 2019.
At the bottom the creek flattens out and the terrain opens up. Continue downstream to a short 6ft drop. Downclimb DCR.
Below this last step, you've reached the hanging valley between sections of the creek. Either stay in the creek and follow it down, or exit DCL and follow animal trails down to the top of the lower section. Distance is around 0.2mi and takes about 10min. Easy off-trail. Continue with Lower Thimble.
Lower Thimble
Somewhere in the valley the tributary enters from Blue Lake and the the flow will double, if not more. The lower section of the creek has 6-8 rappels and none bigger than 200 feet.
Beginning the descent around 3800' elevation, expect a minor downclimb or two before things get rolling. Thimble could use some bolts to stay in the flow.
- R4: 10ft nuisance drop followed by a short ramp (15ft). The vertical drop should be rappelled, but the ramp can be downclimbed DCR.
- R5: 30ft falls from a tree DCL, followed by short horizontal section, then a second tier of perhaps 25ft. The second tier is very slippery/blocky, but can be downclimbed carefully.
- R6: 80ft. Fun rappel in the flow from log near the brink DCL.
- R7: 50ft ramp from fallen log DCL.
Below R7 are several downclimbs. Bypass a big fallen tree DCR.
- R8: 175ft low-angle ramp in two main tiers. It might be possible to carefully downclimb both sections, but don't slip. Could also be done in a couple rappels if concerned about rope pull.
Climb down an easy ramp to reach a logjam barricading the creek. It proved possible to downclimb around it DCR. This is right above R9.
- R9: 35ft from aforementioned logjam.
- R10: Lower Thimble Falls. The tallest vertical rappel on lower Thimble Creek at perhaps 150ft broken up into two tiers. The first tier of 50ft into a hanging pool, then 85ft into a shallow pool at the base of the falls. Hard to hear whistle signals on this rappel. Should probably be bolted / broken into two rappels for safety.
Continue downstream ~5min to the road. There are a couple minor drops that can be easily downclimbed.
- 8ft drop. Nuisance rappel, or exit creek DCL up to brushy ridge and descend to road.
On reaching the culvert, exit up to the road.
Exit
At the culvert, scramble up the bank to the road. Turn left and walk 1min back to your car.
Extra Bonus Rappel
If you're not beat and have a little extra energy, go through the culvert. A few hundred feet downstream, reach a large bedrock waterslide.
- R11: 100ft low-angle ramp. Might be downclimbable, but don't slip. Ramp culminates in a short steep section into a pool which is the best slide on Thimble. Extra bonus points!
Continue downstream a few hundred feet. Just ahead is the confluence with Straight Creek. The creek abruptly changes character becoming quite broad and full of rocks / fallen trees. Just before reaching the confluence, exit the creek DCL wherever is easiest and go right up the nose of a forested ridge. It's a little brushy but not that bad. Weave in and out through the trees staying right on the nose. You'll pass a nice view of the 70ft falls on Straight Creek. Keep going and bear slightly climber's left when the terrain flattens out. Pick up a user trail that leads you back to the campsite where you parked.
Red tape
None.
Beta sites
Trip reports and media
Background
FD of Lower Thimble was on 8/14/17 featuring Haruka James Clay Lipscomb and Ryan Ernst.
North Thimble was first descended by Kevin Clark, Keith Campbell, Karl Helser, Lisa Ripps, and Wade Hewitt in Sept 2019.
Main Thimble direct from Blue Lake was first explored in summer 2024.