Thornton Creek
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| | Raps:26-30, max ↨170ft
Red Tape:No permit required Shuttle:Required 15min Vehicle:High Clearance Rock type:Granite | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Condition Reports: | 17 Sep 2024
"Great day in Thornton! We used the classic approach without a shuttle and hiked up from Highway 20. Time does not include time hiking up to the start |
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| Best season: | july-sept
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48.6533, -121.3254
48.6497, -121.3076
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Waterflow
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Introduction
Thornton Creek is located within Ross Lake National Recreation Area in Whatcom County, Washington. It is a tributary of the Skagit River. Thornton Creek is sourced from Thornton Lakes—three alpine paternoster lakes in a cirque below Mount Triumph's south ridge (which ends in a minor peak that has been called Thornton Peak) and Trappers Peak. It is one of the best canyons in the region and can be very challenging in high flow due to multistage rappels and hydraulics.
The Sections
Thornton can be broken down into 3 sections.
- The Classic Section - This can be considered the "middle" of the canyon. It runs from where an old forest road crosses the canyon (at ~1334ft), down to the bridge.
- The Upper Section - Since 2020 the canyon above the classic section has been developed. The upper canyon has a similar characteristic to the classic section, but it adds a considerable amount of distance and a lot more obstacles. Recommended for people who want a full day and know how to move efficiently through a canyon.
- The Lower section - for anyone who reaches the bridge and wants to keep rapping, there's an option to continue all the way down to the highway.
Waterflow
The waterflow checkpoint is the multistage rappel above the bridge. It is visible from the very short trail leading upstream from the bridge on DCL. The Bacon Creek stream gauge correlates well with the waterflow in Thornton Creek.
Approach
Shuttles: depending on the particular flavor of Thornton your running you can use either the top trailhead, pullouts at the 4th switchback above the bridge, pullouts at the bridge itself, or the highway 20 pullout, to position your vehicles.
Upper Section
To access the start of the canyon take the Thornton Lakes Road and park at the Thornton Lakes Trailhead. You can either "half suit" up at the parking lot, or carry your wetsuit in your pack down to the entrance of the canyon. From the parking lot, head back toward the road, and look for pink flagging tape or a faint user trail on your left. If you find yourself walking down the road proper, you've gone too far. From here, follow the grade down, trending East-North-East until you reach the creek and find an easy way to enter the creek and a good spot to finish suiting up.
Classic Section
Take the Thornton Lakes Road up the mountain for 1.25 miles and park where the road makes a sharp left turn (and where the road is closest to the river). It's the 4th switch-back after the bridge.
Hike up the west rim of the canyon. At an elevation of 1380ft (48.65176, -121.31392) you'll meet an old forest road, which followed north-west will lead to the canyon.
Extra Short Classic Option
If you're looking for an extra-short route follow the west rim of the canyon to an elevation of 1200 feet and drop in down a steep hillside.
Descent
Caution: In higher water levels, canyoneers will be required to do a number of pothole escapes in hydraulics. Be aware that the rock is super slippery, the water is very cold, and some of the potholes do not have good handholds. This requires mantling with the hands and doing a beached whale move to get up and out while on rappel. There are also many jumps and slides in this canyon, many of which require precise spotting. Someone experienced in the canyon is vital, or each will need a good spotter to check pools for depth and obstacles.
Thornton is a non-stop canyon, with back-to-back obstacles down its whole length. This makes it very difficult to document the descent in a way that can be easily followed. The following beta needs further verification & refinement. Don't presume it's correct! Please contribute any corrections.
Upper Section
Descend a series of small down climbs and slides, mostly DCL
- R1: 35' from anchor DCL
- R2: 15' from anchor DCR then slide/jump 5' at bottom
Series of 5 slides, DCL first one is shallow, last one is a dry slide.
- R3: 8' DCL
Slide DCL
- R4: 20' DCL
Downclimb DCR then jump 8'
Short slide, then downclimb DCL. It is possible to jump tight to the wall DCR, instead of the down climb, but it is a very technical jump due to a boulder in the pool, and a spotter is recommend if attempting it
Slide DCC, with a ~12' drop off.
- R5: 60' per the horizontal DCL
Set an approximately 20' retrievable guideline from a rock pinch DCR across the flow to an anchor DCL
- R6: 40'
- R7: 20' DCR
- R8: 30' DCL
- R9: 60' dry rappel DCL Hook the rope over a rock knob part way down to avoid a swing into the flow
This drops you into a deep pool that has a great spot to stop for lunch or a snack on the other side. There's also an old forest road which crosses the canyon here (48.6523441, -121.3148630). This can be used an escape option, or drop-in to run only the classic section.
Classic Section
15' Jump
Series of small down climbs and slides
- R10: 15' Nuisance rappel DCR
Slide/downclimb
- R11: 10' nuisance rappel DCR
- R12: DCL 30'
Slide/downclimb
- R13: 15' Nuisance rappel DCL
- Three tier slide
- R14: 15' DCR
- R15: 45' DCL
- R16: 20' DCL
- R17: 20' DCR
- R18: 25' DCL
- Jump 8' DCL
- R19: 20' DCL
- R20: 30' DCR
- R21: 100' per the horizontal
- R22: 40' DCR pair of bolts. Drop into pool below, and exit left to find next anchor.
- R23: 70' DCL pair of bolts. Two stages into the large pool.
- R24: 35' DCL. Set the rope short for a fun slide into a usually deep pool.
The next rappel is on the edge of the pour-over in front of you. A traverse line can be rigged from anchors DCR to make access safer.
- R25: 100' DCR. Chain-linked bolts. Two stage rappel. After exiting the first pool step across the flow at the constriction and continue trending DCL.
[The flow checkpoint trail is now in sight].
- R26: 25' DCR single bolt, down the final little drop.
Slide the slab to exit the final pool, and down-climb back to the bridge.
Lower Section
This is the section below the bridge.
- R27: 170' from tree DCR. This rappel is bypassable by downclimbing on the left
- R28: 70', to rappel in the whitewater anchor off a tree DCR; for a safer descent, rappel from a large rock DCR
- R29: 100' down 2 tiers, from 2 bolts DCR. Be aware: there may be a foot entrapment hazard in the final chute. The hazard can be avoided by rappelling through a notch just DCR of the chute (aka natural redirect).
Exit
If you left your vehicle at the bridge, scramble up canyon left just before the bridge. If you left your vehicle at the bottom by the highway, exit canyon right when the creek levels out to reach the highway.
Red tape
Beta sites
-
Super Amazing Map : Thornton Creek - CanyoneeringNorthwest.com (archive.org) : Thornton Creek
Trip reports and media
- Facebook Album from 6/30/2015 in moderate-high conditions
- Pictures from 2007
- More Pictures from 2007
Special thanks to Steve Abercrombie who provided the specifics of the canyon and the water flow comparison photos.
Background
Middle Section (drop-in from the 2nd switchback in the road) first descended in August 2006 by Robert Cobb and Joe Bugden, after a tip-off from Charly Oliver who had driven to the road bridge and been impressed by what he saw upstream. On the first descent we (Rob and I) made it from the drop-in to the final significant waterfall, which was running high and looked a bit ho-hum. Not knowing exactly how far we had progressed and feeling a bit intimidated, I (Joe) convinced Rob we should force an exit on canyon left. Rob climbed out first. I followed (with the help of a top rope). We hiked what turned out to be a very short way down the hillside back to the car. Sitting back at the campsite that evening, Rob convinced me we should return the following day and complete the canyon (as far as the road bridge), so we did..
Upper section (from the potential right turn #1) first descended in August 2008 by Robert Cobb, Charly Oliver, Eric Wiese, Daniel Clearwater and Joe Bugden. Nice bedrock creek with a few interesting drops. Exited after a very long day at the normal entry.
I believe the section beneath the road bridge down to the HWY was first descended by Ken Leibert in September 2006(?)
