Northwest Fork Washougal: Headwaters

Northwest Fork Washougal: Headwaters

BETA
2.5 miles

Stream: I had my eye on this section above the uppermost bridge for a year or two, and got the opportunity by chance when another mission fell through on December 30, 2018.  We ran Lacamas in the morning, then decided to head over to Hagen.  I wasn't about to put down lap 15 or whatever on Hagen when there was the opportunity to see something new, so decided i'd check out this new section while everybody else ran Hagen.  I was surprised when nearly the entire group wanted to join despite my assurances it was almost certainly going to suck.

Adam Edwards, Ben Mckenzie, Andrew Bradley and I dropped Priscilla off at the Hagen put in with a large group including a raft or two and kept going up to the landing from which we would schwack our way into the headwaters of the Northwest fork Washougal.  The hike was not easy, but also not hard.  Using the GPS function on my phone and pre-cached maps kept us on track.  The final descent to the stream was on an unstable rock field that took extra attention to protect ankles.  From here we were able to get a good view of the creek, and we liked what we saw providing the motivation to make good time down the boulder field.  A small fence of Devil's Club was the final obstacle.

The creek looked promising from the put in, about 2/3 the size of Hagen and dropping along at a good clip. There was bedrock and a decent sized ledge above where we were.  The first couple hundred yards were nrrow and clean, but with branches blocking the eddies.  We shore scouted a couple short ledge/slots, both of which we ran as far right as we could with a left stroke.  Downstream the creekbed changed to open and sliding.  The creekbed was mostly just one long, low angle slide for a few minutes interrupted occasionally by steeper drops or small pools and we were able to read and run this portion with some faith.

There was a log that prompted a scout as the creek seemed to enter a more wood area and I prepared mentally for the portaging to start.  Adam hopped out of his boat for a look and informed us it was all good though, so we ducked the log and the low angle sliding with occasional small ledge drops continued.  We continued reading and running, branches were often present bu tthe never ending class IV bedrock whitewater made it worth dealing with.  After 1.5 miles we reached the confluence with Skamania Mines Creek.

It would be possible for a motivated boater to stop before the confluence, make the easy hike over the small ridge and pick off Mike's Slide, the largest cascade on Skamania Mines.  Downstream the continuous read and run III-IV continues to the bridge.  The ledge you can see just upstream from the uppermost/1200 Rd bridge has a hole that is definitely bigger than it looks from the road.  it is easiest to clear center-right.

We pulled into the eddy below the bridge and sat there for a second, we were all pretty surprised to have paddled a quality section of class IV whitewater when the expectation had been for a suffer-fest. Ben said "I can't believe that just happened".

We even hike up to the Hagen put in to grab vehicles after finishing the run, drove shuttle, loaded gear and rove down to the Hagen take out before the group Priscilla was paddling with finished their Hagen lap.  Not what we expected setting out for an afternoon exploratory trip.    

 

  
Flows:  We had 15" on the NWF Washougal gauge when we ran the creek, this was a good first time level.  I wouldn't have minded more water (remember the branches though), but would have minded if it had been notably lower.

Here are some nearby online gauges from that day.

 


Access:  Take out:  45.6909, -122.239

Take Hwy 14 to the town of Washougal, turn onto Washougal River Road and travel 10.2 miles to the Washougal River Mercantile.  From the Mercantile, head upstream less than half a mile before turning left onto the steep Skye Road.  Continue 3.9 miles on Skye Rd before turning right onto Skamania Mines/412th Rd (keep and eye out, people miss this turn occasionally).  The road quickly turns to gravel, as it winds it's way down to the middle bridge in about 1 mile.  This bridge is where the NWF Washougal Gauge is, on the downstream left side of the bridge. 
From the middle/Skamania Mines bridge head upstream on river left for 1.5 miles, and take the road going left.  This road crosses the NWF Washougal in less than 1 mile and is the take out if only running this section. 


Put In: 45.721, -122.2241

**If you are doing this section, you really should have maps cached on your phone for the hike, use the coordinates above**

From the uppermost/1200 bridge, continue (passing by the Hagen put in) for 1.6 miles and turn right.  There is a gate here, it was open when we ran this section on Dec 30, 2018.  If it's closed and you don't see an alternate route (4WD/clearance), just go back and do Hagen, it wouldn't be worth the hike from here.  If you get past the gate, take the left fork. 0.7 miles later take the right fork until it ends at a clear cut (45.7167, -122.2355).  Cross the clear cut and start bushwhacking.  Stay generally at the same elevation until you cross a micro creek (it took us about half an hour to get to this point).  Climb up the short ridge on the other side of this creek, then follow this ridge downhill, erring to the left until you reach a boulder field.  Scamper down to the upstream edge of this boulder field to put in where we did, watch your footing. 

Skamania Mines Creek

If you would ever like to add Skamania Mines Creek onto a day at Hagen, you may find the following access information useful.

I would recommend parking here 45.7028, -122.2234.  This location is just barely over two miles past the road that leaves Skamania Mines Rd to access the Hagen put in.

Get into the older trees and follow the ridge line down to the creek.   The distance is the same as the hike into Hagen used to be before the new access was found, except that instead of a clear cut its mostly forest and ferns so the going is easier.

This hike drops you in right above the gorge (used loosely) on Skamania Mines Creek.  This gorge has a long set of bedrock ledges that stack up to create a rapid reminiscent of a longer and more involved Euphoria.

Park at the circle, walk where the line is to get just the good and avoid the wood.

The reason to put in here is the mile above the gorge is mostly wood portaging (walking along the bank is easy though) and blind class III corners, which we didn't feel was worth paddling.
We did not use the put in described above and found that in the mile above the gorge there was quite a few wood issues.

Ross putting in below the previous portage, and Ben getting to shore above the next one.

Nick and Priscilla were not impressed with the quality of the stream this high up and decided to walk out and save their energy for Hagen.

Less than a mile after putting in we reached an island, just below this island the creek turned to bedrock and produced a fun series of features that linked together into a good stretch of whitewater.  The alternate hike in would drop you right at the start of this bedrock.

Ross makes the first move as the bedrock starts up (just below the alternate access point).

Ross runs the next rapid that Ben signaled us through.  After catching an eddy on the right just below this rapid we went for an extended scout on the right.

Ben balancing on a submerged log at the crux of our scout (not necessary if you scout river left or high on the right).

This rapid turned out to be a fun multi-move rapid with some puffy hydraulics and fun boofs, we felt it was like a more involved and longer Euphoria.

It continues around the corner.

Ben nearing the end of the Gorge rapid.

Below this rapid we caught an eddy on the right to scout Mike's Slide, which had a couple more fun moves.

The eddy between the gorge rapid and Mike's Slide.

Ben cruising below Mike's slide.

 Just below Mike's Slide was a river wide tree, then the confluence with the NW Fork Washougal. Below the confluence we had no more wood issues.

Just below the confluence.

 From here to the take out bridge is just over a mile of fun class III-IV similar to other stretches of the NW fork with a hole visible from the take out bridge that is best run center-right.

Once the bridge is reached there is the option to take out, continue down the NW Fork Washougal, or do what we did and head up to Hagen whose put in is less than a half mile away.

Priscilla's first lap on Euphoria.

Ben gets gnarly at The Cracken.

We were there on November 14th and felt the flow was at a nice medium level.

Check out the story of the first descent from Oregon Kayaking.

   -jacob

Wildboy Creek

BETA

Stream: I took vague notes on this one, so for a more robust beta page check out the first descent description.

The best drop is the falls at the put in and the couple slides just after.  There are a good number of fun class III-IV bedrock rapids spread throughout the rest of the run, then a good set of class IV rapids near the confluence with the NW Fork Washougal.  Unfortunately there was a lot of wood in the creek in 2009.  If everything in the area is way too high, the put in drop is a squeaky clean waterfall. Very clean and perfect landing pool.  At the flows I was there, the artificial lip looked abrupt.



  
Flows:  For the run, 5,000 in the Washougal is a reasonable flow to shoot for give or take.  If I were planning to run the falls I would want a minimum of 10,000 in the Washougal and preferably higher though it has been run lower.  Over 10,000 cfs I would only do the falls and skip the rest of the run (because of the wood).

Access:  There is a gate on the most obvious access road a couple miles from the put in that is usually locked.  It's an easy downhill hike from there, but if you are just park and hucking the falls the walk back out might be a bummer.  I got lucky once and was able to drive down, but every time since then it's been closed when I have been in the area.

The take out is the mercantile at the intersection of Washougal River Rd and Canyon Creek Rd.  To get to the put drive to the Hagen take out, from there you have a number of options.  Use a map (I recommend one with satellite imagery) and choose the route that suits you best.

Directions to the mercantile and Hagen take out are described here.

Here is a map showing the area, if you are crafty the hike can be reduced to under a mile by connecting spur roads.

Waterfall Location:  45.671, -122.2185

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Original Write-up
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Tried to run Wildboy creek Saturday as plan Z as Rick put it after failing to get on Stebbins due to snow, then the Upper Upper Washougal, then Siouxon, then Dougan, and so on until we made it to the NW fork Washougal drainage. We decided to try Wildboy, the good news was the gate was open for a boyscout camp so we didn't have to hike in.  The bad news was it was painfully low.  We put on below the put in falls anyway.  Rick ran the first Flume drop in its entirety, I seal-launched in half way, then eddied out to hear that Rick had broken his boat on the left wall.  It was a glancing blow so Rick wasn't hurt but his boat wasn't operational so we hiked back up to the put in.  After a few hours of driving, we ended up running one rapid, that's the way it goes sometimes.

The next day (March 28, 2009) Jean and I returned with a touch more water (3400 and dropping fast on the Washougal @ Hathaway gauge) and ran all the way to the store on the Washougal.  Without wood Wildboy would be an awesome creek having so much bedrock.  It isn't all that hard, but lots of bedrock and without wood would just be a joyride from put-in to take out.  As it is there are a lot of strainers in the form of fish habitat, designed to cover the bedrock with boulders and debris.  This project was done when they were just figuring out how to place wood habitat, so there is plenty of left over cable (because the trees got ripped downstream) and it is configured in hazardous ways.  We portaged 7 times, but probably should have done a couple more.  I took one good shot to the head trying to duck a log, and had a large tree as a bench press bar for a minute.  I'm not sure whether the situation would be better or worse with more water?  There were some bouldery sections, but lots of bedrock too.  Waterfall at putin would be great when there is a more airated landing and the lip is less abrupt.  NF Washougal was fun, Jean got a couple good knocks to the head after rolling in a shallow section, no swims though.  

              We took footage, we will see if Jean does something with that, wouldn't hold my breath as he has father duties now!

           If I venture into that drainage again I will just stick with a clean run down Hagen, but it was fun seeing a new section of water.  And thanks to my dad for running the never ending shuttle on Saturday.

 -Jacob

Hagen Creek

Photo: Matt King

BETA
 

Stream: Following a spur road to a trail leading down a nose of land brings you to the creek just below an old log-deck, appreciated amongst kayakers as a catch-all for debris floating downstream that otherwise may have gotten stuck in the gorge.  

The whitewater starts right away in the form of some small ledges and slides.  They are not quiet large enough to warrant hopping out of your boat to scout, and you can go pretty much wherever, but it's nice to follow someone down the first time to get the cleanest lines.

Less than half a mile after putting in you reach Hagen Daaz, the first named drop which can be scouted right if you are showing yourself down.  There are a few line options, but the most common line down this 15 foot drop is to start center right, driving back to center over a smooth hump of water and down a bouncy ramp, avoiding a narrow hole in the top center of the falls.  

Jake Brown and Scott Michael accelerating out of Hagen Daaz.

Downstream the bedrock transitions into cobblestone and small boulders, when you pass to the right of a medium sized log pile on an island in the middle of the creek you are close Euphoria so grab the next eddy.  As the stream makes a hard left bend just below look for an eddy on the right at the base of a micro tributary.  Catch that eddy and watch out for bugger rocks trying to deflect you back into the current. 

Scout Euphoria on the right.  I find the crux of this two part rapid is the lead in and try to stay as close to the island in the middle of the channel as possible until I enter the first slide just to the left of an obvious rooster tail.  

The final ledge in Euphoria is proceeded by a small hole, I like to hit this hole center driving right and sliding down the right wall with right angle but other options exist.  There are some neat eddies to challenge yourself with in this rapid.

                            Alex Hymel approaching the final ledge in Euphoria, center driving right.
                                                                  Photo: Nick Hymel

There are two small ledges below here and before the confluence with the NW Fork Washougal, run both of them center-left.

As you approach the NW Fork Washougal an obvious horizon line presents itself just downstream of the confluence.  Stay right as you exit Hagen Creek and eddy out on the right to scout this powerful drop.  The standard line is to run the top slide on the right with left angle to make it back to center for the bottom drop, which is usually run through a seam threading between two powerful hydraulics.  At high flows I have seen some wild lines through here, but everyone who hits the seem blasts through into the pool below.  Too far right or left and the outcome is less certain.

Nate Merrill riding out Teakettle.

Photo: Lucas Reitmann

The only rapid of note between here and the finale is a benign looking rapid that has a weird chute down the left side.  It is best to scrape down the right side of the channel or you risk getting parked in a squirrely eddy.  This is another one when it's nice to follow someone as it doesn't look like much from above.

Once past there be ready to grab a shallow eddy on the left within the next five minutes.  The final drop would be easy to get blown into if you didn't know the run and were not paying attention.  Standard procedure is to get to the left bank at the end of a stretch of class II just as the river starts to bend ever so slightly back to the right.

Scout left along a convenient shelf and if you decide to portage you will find a crack leading to a seal launch over there as well.  The line is obvious, but intimidating.  While the second drop tends to command everyones attention, the top drop also demands respect.  The launch pad slopes left and more than a couple people have ended up behind the falls which is scary for everyone involved.  A couple of people have even gone too far right and landed in the disgusting crack over there.   That said, the drop is easy if you pick your markers carefully and take it seriously.  The second part, a narrow folding slot flips a lot of people but is not retentive and if you have a roll it's really not much to worry about.  

Kory Kellum between the two drops

Photo: Brandon Lake

  

Downstream of this drop it's splashy floating to the take out bridge.  If you don't get out of your boat the run can be done in under an hour.  If there is lots of scouting or swimming plan on 2-4.

If you have the time it's highly recommended to continue down to the Washougal and Mercentile take out.  Aside from one portage a short way below the take out for Hagen, the run is class IV and mostly read and run with a couple quick scouts if it's your first time.  

Flows:  Flows can be estimated, but you don't ever know what exactly you will have water-wise until you get to the take out and see the gauge.  


                                            The gauge at a friendly flow for Hagen.
                         Teakettle lacked it's usual power, but people have run the creek lower.
                                                                             Oct 16, 2016 

-7"   is about as low as it has been run, you will notice how low it is.
-10" is a worthwhile, but low flow.  The main drops are all still fun.

-15" is medium.

-18" is getting pushy once you reach the NWF Washougal, but still medium.   
- Over 20" is not a desirable first time flow for most boaters.

 -The run has been done as high as 29/30" a number of times and possibly higher, this is the high end of runnable.  Not recommended unless you already know the creek, have a grasp on the wood situation, and have incrementally stepped up to this level and can make class V decisions for yourself.

29/30"

 Photo: Adam Edwards

Since you can't tell for sure what the water level will be until you get to the take out, boaters use nearby online gauges to let them know if it's worth driving up to Hagen.

Some people use the Washougal Gauge and look for over 3,000 cfs, others use the EF Lewis gauge and look for over 2,000 cfs.  

More data points from people who run the creek would be useful in calibrating this gauge for the community.  Comment on this page or at the AW page if you care to help out.

Some data points:

Access:  The most straight forward route is to take Hwy 14 on the north side of the Columbia Gorge into Washougal and turn North onto Washougal River road (signed) at the stop light.  There is a gas station where you can fill up shortly after this turn, on the right.

Follow Washougal River Road just over 10 miles to the intersection with Canyon Creek Rd (another access option) at a small store called The Washougal River Mercantile or "The Mercantile" for short.  If you are paddling down the NW Fork Washougal you leave your car here.

If you are doing just Hagen continue the direction you were headed along Washougal River Rd half a mile and turn left on Skye Rd (the obvious steep and winding road).  Follow Skye Rd for 3.8 miles and turn right on Skamania Mines Rd.  There is a small, white road-sign but if you are not paying close attention it can and has been missed.  Stay right just after and follow Skamania Mines Rd down to a bridge over the NW Fork Washougal, this is the standard take out for Hagen where you can confirm the water level is appropriate.

To reach the put in continue the direction you were heading along Skamania Mines Rd for 1.4 miles and turn left (right is gated and leads to the put in for Wildboy Creek).   Take another left just after and follow that road for 1.2 miles (crossing the NW Fork Washougal at 0.8 miles) to a decommissioned spur road heading off to your left.  Park here.

Hike down this spur road, staying right at the Y.  Shortly after this intersection take the faint trail heading off to the left.  Follow this to a nose of land heading down to the creek at the put in (dropping down early will result in an extra portage around the log deck).



                                                       And a short video of the highlights.

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Original Write-up

Hagen/NW Fork Washougal/Washougal/Bonus falls
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Last week Matt King and I ran Hagen Gorge, met up with John below Teakettle, then ran the rest of the NW fork Washougal run.   We hooped and hollered down to Euphoria and hopped out for a quick scout, there is often so much energy when someone is seeing a run for the first time!  I had not scouted the lead in thoroughly last time and ended up hitting a rooster tail when I was farther right than I wanted. This time I didn't want to let that happen so I scouted the lead-in... It happened again.    Hitting the rooster isn't so bad, but it is an ugly way to run such a beautiful drop.  Since this trip I have kept out of the main current and closer to the island in the center of the lead in and had no more encounters with the rooster.

       
The good news was the log that has always been right below the second drop was gone. The bad news was there was another one in exactly the same spot that spanned the entire river! Doh!  We reconvened below Euphoria and dropped the last couple ledges before the NW fork confluence. Before this day, Teakettle was the only hole that had ever stopped and surfed me. I knew the mistake I made last time and remembered the drop, so with some butterflies in my stomach decided I didn't want to scout and psych myself out.  This time I was where I wanted to be and blasted through upright.   Matt came next and greased it as well!

 Below here was a small drop that messed with both of us, then we arrived at the double drop/crack. I had said if there was no snow I would consider it and the banks were dry so we started scouting. In the end we decided that even if you didn't have a good line you would flush so I gave it a go followed shortly by Matt.  In the videos I had seen of this drop it seemed people struggled to get left.   I over-corrected for this, then took a piss-poor stroke.  The result was as one would expect from a bad line.                                                                                                        

Matt said my boat came completely out of the water and pitoned the wall before landing upside down!

 Matt came next and landed against the wall on the top drop.

He worked his way off and had the best line on the bottom I had seen up to that point. He stayed dry and I could see him holding his paddle in a way that indicated he was waiting to brace, but it never happened and he just sailed through with his paddle out of the water.  Iv'e since adopted Matt's line through here; taking a right stroke through the bottom drop and leaning ever so slightly left into the pillow. Below here it was a short ways until we met John, who was waiting at the next bridge (we were surprised and appreciative that a kayaker showed up early!), and continued downstream. We had fun with the seal launch around Bowey Falls, then headed downstream.   Not too far below Bowey is a series of small sliding ledges.   I came down pretty casually and got stuck in a little hole at the bottom. I was in there for a few seconds before working my way out.  We cruised down the rest of the run, too much fun. We got onto the main Washougal and Matt surfed the waves below the confluence for awhile. Eventually we made it to the surprise drop. Which is a little waterfall coming in on creek left that i easy to lap.  It is shallow but it wasn't a problem.

 John comes down

We each dropped down it every which way a few times before we made it to the take out and did shuttle.

                                                                                                                                                                     Matt surfing the hole below the falls just for fun

-Jacob