Dougan

This is the stream that comes in just below Dougan Falls on the Washougal.  Less than a mile upstream of the confluence the stream branches into two forks, each quit small.  I ran the slides just upstream of the Washougal confluence with Theron Jourdan one wintery day.  If the stream from the forks down was free of wood it would be worth doing once or twice.  It was pretty clean looking last time I was up there at low water.  My dad may have done it once, or maybe he just scouted and told me about it.  Anyway, it could be an interesting section to do in conjunction with the Washougal Falls section.

Stebbins Creek

Photo: Carter W.

BETA

Stream: 2016-ish the area the trail into Stebbins Creek passed through was logged and we were told the trail disappeared.  We went searching for another way in the next Fall or Spring and found a way in that was shorter, and added some extra rapids.  Details for this approach are in the info section of this report.  

On the way into the south fork

 Photo: Adam Edwards

After reaching the South Fork of Stebbins Creek near a small tributary, I recommend dropping the boats and walking either along the right or left bank to scout out the first drop.  This is a 20-ish foot falls with what appears to be a shallow landing.  On our first go at the falls 2 of us boofed and 2 of us plugged, no one in the group contacted anything but water.

Photo: Adam Edwards

There is some twisty, bouldery class III with some wood for a hundred yards or so below the put in falls (3 of us made one wood portage, Brandon made no portages in this stretch).  If you are catching eddies you will see a pinch and horizon line when the bedrock re-appears downstream.

It is an easy scout on the left, but you can only see the first drop and a horizon line from here.  The horizon line is a double drop described on Oregonkayaking as two ten footers run by Dan Coyle.  The pinch through the double drop (all slides) can all be run far right with right angle (the middle one you can be more middle-right on).  On our trip the first person was able to catch an eddy on the right after the pinch to scout the double drop (his boat also slipped off the bank while he was scouting due to slick, angled walls).

Photo: Adam Edwards

This set finishes off in a pool and there is another log to duck.  Then there is some steep class III that finishes off with a drop that should be scouted shortly after a small creek cascades in on the left (not a big drop, but it has it's issues).

More read and run continues to the only mandatory log portage we encountered in 2016, though if a couple branches disappeared it would probably not be a portage.  We made the easy portage on the left.  After putting back in, there is a short bit of bouldery stuff before reaching the confluence with the North Fork, which was historically the put in location for Stebbins Creek.

Groups have explored the NF as well, they reported some nice class III-IV and some minor wood to contend with.

Photo: Adam Edwards

Below the North Fork confluence is some splashy class II-III before reaching Jetboat Falls.  Jetboat starts off with a nice 10ish foot ledge, followed by a hundred yards of sliding and splashy class IV before finishing off with another fun ten foot ledge run far right.  I recommend leaning forward as you go over and forcing right angle as you ramp out into the pool, ideally catching the eddy on the right.  We had a couple people get caught by surprise at how fast the water pushed them across the pool into a couple pieces of wood that looked like non-factors from the scout.

At healthy flows it doesn't take long before you reach Get in My Belly, a fun ledge best run far left, and the beginning of the meat of the run.  It's worth at least one person making a quick scout on the right here for wood.

Immediately below here we portaged a log on the right and scouted an unnamed, but signature boulder garden of the run.  We were able to enter middle, and finish right with a boof fading away from the right wall.  

The next rapid is Lethal Injection, which is currently in a runnable form though none of us paddled it on this day.   Unfortunately, portaging Lethal Injection high on the left is probably the best move as of 2017 with the current wood configuration at the next rapid (Tsunami) causing problems for people who run Lethal Injection or portage at river level.

The exit is actually under the log that Ben's nose is pointed at.

Photo: Adam Edwards

If you run Lethal Injection, you can scout Tsunami from the right, but you cannot portage it over there.  It is also not reasonable to get out on the left to scout or portage Tsunami if you run Lethal Injection with the 2017 wood configuration.  With the current log situation you will likely be forced to run the right line on Tsunami, as Brandon demonstrates here.

If you portage Lethal Injection on the left (Priscilla said it wasn't bad, and that had she chosen the correct route a rope would not be necessary) you have more options at Tsunami.  She helped Adam and I get out on the left, which even with her help was a bit dicey.

I attempted to seal launch onto the first drop of Tsunami, a move that had worked at lower water the last time I was there.  This time I got a weird bounce at the bottom and got stuck in the hole, from which I swam.  I clambered up onto the shelf in the center that was backing up the hole, and Adam roped me back to shore after Brandon had come through.



Priscilla and Adam took the smart route, which was to put in below the first two holes and ferry out to run the last two tiers. 

Just around the corner there is a slide along the right wall that routed Adam right into a log.  As he was headed for it he called back to Priscilla to alert her to the hazard, the log hit him square in the chest and just like in the movies a personally significant object he kept in his PFD was caved in instead of a rib.

There wasn't anything more of note until we reached Zoom Tube.  Adam portaged along the boulders at river level while the rest of us went up and around (river-right).  Neither route was strenuous but Adam got to the end a little faster.

In contrast to the clear cuts near the put in that are the reason there is access to this creek, once below the NF/SF confluence the banks are well forested and worth a look around during the scouts and portages.

Photo: Adam Edwards

There is a small exit rapid below there we ran left and some more boogie led to Bongo Furry, which had a nice boof on the left where a brace was handy.  The nasty rock on the right pictured on the Oregon Kayaking report had either moved or was under water.

The very next boulder garden looked trivial from above, but ended up being pretty sketchy.  It had a log at the bottom so Brandon and Adam tried to work their way right, both were rejected hard and got flushed under the log (rolling up safely below).  Priscilla and I corrected and started left, driving back right just above the log which turned out to be the move here.

Photo: Adam Edwards

From there to Mad Dog it was read and run, which is easier to scout while setting shuttle at the beginning of the day than from the river.  At Mad Dog the river bends slightly right and there are a number of options for running the drop.  Brandon went right-right (deep but upright), I went middle-middle (boof to upright), Adam left-left (no wet hair) and Priscilla middle-right (swim).

Hop out on the right at the confluence with the Washougal.  If you are still motivated for more paddling, the Washougal Waterfall run is generally at a good flow if Stebbins is in and the put in drop for that run is visible upstream from the take out of Stebbins. 

As of 2021 there were no trespass signs and cameras at the take out for Stebbins.  It was reported that you can just hike up the road a short bit to public land on the road after taking out to avoid conflict.  Instead of waiting at the take out, boaters not going back to retrieve vehicles can either do laps on Docs Drop, or continue down the Washougal for some larger volume cascades and fish habitat navigation, i.e. cabled logs.

Brandon lake on Doc's Drop

  

Flows:  We had the Washougal gauge peak at 6,000 cfs while we were on Stebbins, this was a low but enjoyable flow and I would definitely go back with similar or higher flows.  Word is 10,000 is a better flow, and there are rumors of 15,000 cfs+ being done and enjoyed but don't take my word for that.

Here is what Stebbins looked like from the take out bridge the day we ran the SF for our first time.

    [IMAGE]

Access:  Take Hwy 14 East from I5 into the town of Washougal, turning left at the light (signed for Washougal River Rd).  Take Washougal River rd 19.5 miles past where it crosses the Washougal River in town to a bridge over Stebbins Creek (passing the Mercantile at 9.5, and crossing the Dougan Falls bridge at 17).  This is the take out.

To get to the put in continue the way you were travelling upstream along the Washougal.  You will head uphill for awhile and eventually come to a hilltop at an "intersection"  Head right and downhill.
1.6 miles later you will cross Deer Creek and reach a "T", turn right.  2 miles later make another hard right. 2.7 miles later STOP and unload the boats.  There is an unmarked, decommissioned road going off to the right which you follow to start the hike.

Hike:  Use the following map (I recommend printing it off and bringing with you if you use this put in).  From the vehicles (red circle), follow the decommissioned road for a short bit until it meets up with a fully functioning logging road (it appeared to me that to drive to this point from the take out would take more time than it's worth).  Turn right on the logging road and follow the main road to the line of trees.  There is a game style trail down to the creek, pretty easy going but some competence is necessary (no rope work needed).

The total distance for the hike was about 1.2 miles.

 It should go without saying, but these logging roads are not made for public use and are subject to change at the whim of those who created them.

*Remember, once you reach the put in scout downstream as eddies are scarce above the falls*

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Stebbins with rafts
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I had been trying to get on this creek since my freshman year of high school. This was a creek that Nick and I were always talking about and was at the top of our list. For various reasons, from snow to being dragged to Canyon Cr WA instead, many factors kept us off Stebbins. When Nick left for college, I still tried to get on this run. Then I left for college and still was trying. Finally, my junior year, after a few more attempts including actually hiking the trail, then bailing, I got on the creek.

Ryan and I stoked to finally get on Stebbins, after numerous failed attempts for each of us.

This was with the rafting crew which added some different logistical challenges. Snow on the road is always a concern in accessing the put in. Luckily we were able to locate a couple of sturdy trucks to get the job done. With over a foot of snow on the ground, this was crucial. We made it to the put in, but not without challenges.

Maybe we should just put on the NF. It doesn't look that far away...

Jeff Compton did a good writeup on his blog www.yougonnaraftthat.blogspot.com

so you can read the whole report and watch the video there.

The main things I would like to point out are...

-Lethal Injection is runnable with the current wood configuration

-Tsunami falls has new wood at the lip. I got around this by seal launching from where my boat is perched in the picture below, landing halfway down the first drop. . 

 This was fun and smooth.

- I didn't think we had enough water with the EF Lewis around 1500 cfs. 5,000 in the Washougal would be my guess at a good minimum. You can get down it much lower, the quality just isn't there. It's a good bit of fun at the right flow though.

 

 -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

Naked falls

One of these days after football Nick, Alex and I decided to go swimming.  This day Nick found a spot on the internet called Naked falls on The Washougal.  I had drive past before while kayaking, and was looking forward to some summertime fun with toys. We drove there with a boogie board, an innertube, and life jackets and camera. When we got there we realized just how fun this would be. The normal kayaking line was slideable on the boogieboard which we all slid down a few times.

Nick

Me sliding

and about to drop

and the left side lowhead damish drop was low enough to run, which we cleaned up on for the most part, one or two swims each:).

landing

There was also a 25-30 foot cliff. We spent hours there and didn't get bored.

Alex "seal launching" in

 When we were gearing down to leave some idiot started talking big about drifting the gravel road.  Alex didn't want his car anywhere near that guy so drove it away before the guy could pull his stunt.  It was a good call, the dude crashed his car exactly where Alex's vehicle had been parked about 1.5 minutes before.



-Jacob