Three Corner Creek
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| | Raps:3, max ↨100ft
Red Tape:No permit required Shuttle:Optional 4.75mi Vehicle:Passenger | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Condition Reports: | 1 Nov 2025
"Big water! Three Corner was raging in flood stage after a huge precip dump on the PNW. The creek is a different animal at this level with simple tasks |
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| Best season: | mar-Sept
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45.7510, -122.0178
45.7454, -122.0218
45.7544, -122.0107
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Introduction[edit]
Three Corner Creek is a lesser tributary of Rock Creek located about 6mi northwest of Stevenson, WA. The creek is named for Three Corner Rock: a nearby landmark and former lookout site above Rock Creek Pass. Three Corner has three nice waterfalls and a beautiful upper canyon; it's a nice short adventure near Portland, and an excellent training creek.
Three Corner is visited regularly by waterfall photographers. If leaving anchors, please use natural colors or black to blend in. A bright red sling atop a waterfall is most irksome to photographers.
- Watershed: 1.65mi^2. Highest point in the watershed is ~3400ft. North-facing slopes will hold snow longer.
Approach[edit]
The standard approach is to drop a car at the bottom and shuttle up. The roads are rocky, but 2WD friendly if driven carefully. Upon reaching the parking area at the end of the road, hike north down the ridge directly to R1. The route passes through an older clear cut area.
- If you don't have a shuttle, there's an alternate bushwhack approach.
Descent[edit]
R1 – Downclimb (or Traverse) to Main Falls An easy stemming downclimb (~8ft) into a short slot. A rope or handline may be appreciated by some, especially in wet/slippery conditions.
- Pitch: 90ft in the flow.
- Anchor: 2 bolts, DCR at the lip (installed May 2025).
If the main falls is running high, follow the canyon rim DCR ~100ft to the next stream over.
- Pitch: 100ft
- Anchor: Tree, DCL, right at the lip. (The dead snag 50ft back should probably be discontinued as an anchor.)
Both creeks merge at the bottom of R1.
Not far downstream is a short drop. Bypass DCR or rappel. (Bolts here would allow teams to remain in the watercourse. Note that the bolts night be underwater in high flow.)
R2
- Pitch: 80ft
- Anchor: Tree, DCL.
- Notes: In low flow, sculpted chutes and potholes become visible. Several small arches at the base. Adventurous parties can rappel into the chutes. Best to stay out of them when flow on the creek is high.
R3
- Pitch: 60ft
- Anchor: Unlinked bolts on boulder mid-creek. Use a tree DCR when flow on the creek is high.
- Hazards: Beware loose rocks near anchor.
Exit[edit]
A short distance ownstream from R3, you'll reach a confluence with another tributary entering from DCL. Continue downstream for maybe 0.25mi. Watch DCL for a user trail that leads directly up to the parking area.
- Alternate exit: at the confluence, exit the creek, and bushwhack directly up the hill to the north. There's a bit of a user trail that winds through an old clearcut to meet the road. Walk back down the road to your. (You could also park up here to save yourself a short road walk.)
Red tape[edit]
None.
Beta sites[edit]
Trip reports and media[edit]
Background[edit]
While waterfall hunters have visited the falls for many years, the first known descent was in August 2014 by Keith Campbell, Wim Aarts, Kevin Clark, and Karrin Mullendorff.
Anchor History[edit]
- R1 bolts installed May 2025 by local team to improve rappel start