Wolf Creek (Lower)

Wolf Creek (Lower) Canyoneering Canyoning Caving

Also known as: Lower Wolf Creek.

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‌	Difficulty:‌3C3 III (v4a5 IV) Swift water Raps:‌6, max ↨70ft Metric Overall: 4.5h  ⟷1mi Approach: 5min  ↓50ft Descent: 4h  ⟷0.6mi  ↓550ft Exit: 20min  ↓150ft No Red Tape:‌No permit required Shuttle:‌Optional 10 min Vehicle:Passenger Rock type:alluvial deposits, harder metamorphic rocks
Location:	37.4535, -106.8841
Condition Reports:
Weather:
Best season:	Aug-Sep winter spring summer fall Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov
Regions:	North America United States Colorado San Juan Mountains  Pagosa Springs

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37.4535, -106.8841https://ropewiki.com/images/e/e5/Wolf_Creek_%28Lower%29.kmltopo

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Reference photos

9 Sep 2018: Low. Not as fun, but should be safe even for beginners (class B/C = a3). Looking Upstream from the bridge over Wolf Creek between highway 160 and the West Fork San Juan Campground

17 Aug 2010: Moderate. Challenging but not dangerous for intermediate canyoneers (class C1 = a4).

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Introduction

While Upper Wolf Creek is the technical adventure, Lower Wolf Creek is the more scenic of the two. However, as with its upstream brother, Lower Wolf Creek is a technical wet canyon descent and can be very dangerous. As a whole the two Wolf Creek canyons are perhaps the best technical canyon descents in the state and should not be missed by those with the proper training, equipment and experience.

Approach

Directions: Take US 160 south from Wolf Creek Pass. Park near the bridge over the creek at a hairpin turn in the highway that crosses Wolf Creek.

Logistics with Car Shuttle: You can set up a car shuttle for Lower Wolf Creek. One half mile or so past the Treasure Falls parking area, turn onto the road to Wolf Creek/West Fork Campground. Drive past the Wolf Creek campground area, crossing Wolf Creek on a bridge enroute. When you reach a Y intersection, just past the campground and roughly 1/2 mile from the highway, turn right. Take the road until it ends, less than 1/2 mile from the Y intersection, near a few marshy lakes. Park here. It is possible to camp for free near the small lakes. Bushwack 3min to Wolf Creek so that you know where to exit the river.
Logistics hiking without Car Shuttle: the USGS maps show a pack trail from the bottom parking as described to the Hwy 160 Wolf Creek tunnel. 1.75miles +780ft This trail has not been verified.

Conditions: There is no gauge on Wolf Creek, so you must eyeball the flow at the Love Tunnel and decide if you want to go on. Sections of Lower Wolf Creek offer no escape, though you can escape any time before the third waterfall by hiking steeply east up to the highway.

Entrance: Walk to the bridge. Descend to the creek on the East (upstream) side of the bridge. Hike through the tunnel under the highway (called the Love Tunnel). The first drop is at the end of the tunnel.

Descent

Walk through the large tunnel under Highway 160 from the East and rappel the first falls.

R1: 20ft off slung trees on Canyon Left

R2: 25ft from bolts CL, next to the main falls into the sometimes shallow pool below

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  Tunnel under highway 160
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  R1: 20ft high water
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  R1: 20ft low water
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  R2: 25ft high water
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  R2: 25ft low water

1/4 mile of stream walking to the quick sequence of R3,R4,R5

R3: 30ft. In high water use the large Petzl glue-in to rig a hand line to a bolt station on Canyon Right for a 30ft rappel into a pool below. In low water it would be possible to rappel through the waterfall on Canyon Left off a log mid stream.

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  handline bolt to R3 on CR
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  R3: 30ft into pool
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  R3 low water

R4 (High Water): 40ft bolts CR, next to the waterfall
R4 (Low Water): 70ft rock pinch through the slippery waterfall

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  R4: high water with a guided rappel set up off bolts CR
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  R4: low water rappelling from a rock pinch
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  R4: low water

R5 (High Water): 40ft bolts CR. Climb over the short rock wall on Canyon Right and rappel dry to the pool below.
R5 (Low Water): 40ft bolts CR. Rappel in the waterfall in the corner on rappeller's left. Free hanging for the last ten feet.

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  R5: high water dry rappel
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  R5: low water

R6: 30ft bolts CR. Rappel through the veil.

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  R6: high water
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  R6: low water

Canyon Topo by Charly Oliver

Exit

Exit: After the last waterfall the canyon opens and the banks are forested. Hike downstream for 1/4 mile or so on a fisherman trail canyon left, then canyon right until you reach vehicle left while setting the car shuttle. The trail if followed leads straight to the parking lot.

Beta sites

• Canyoning in the Colorado San Juan Mountains Book by Ira Lewis

Trip reports and media

Sep2018: drought year, 3 people, 2.5hrs

Credits

Wolf Creek (Lower)

Information provided by automated processes. KML map by (unknown). Main photo by (unknown). Authors are listed in chronological order.

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