Pup Creek, Clackamas River tributary, Oregon Cascades

[french_de]

Pup Creek, a tributary of the Clackamas River, Oregon Cascades


Hidden away in the rain forested Cascades of Northwest Oregon, Pup Creek is one of those Clackamas river tributary canyons containing multiple waterfalls
that flow down through the Miocene aged basaltic layers. It rains a lot up here. We got lucky. Out of the five days here we got one good day – partly
cloudy and 71 degrees. It was the perfect day for this canyon.

With 12 hours car to car which included 2 miles of log and rock hopping, 8 waterfalls and a river crossing exit it was one of the most physically
demanding canyons we have ever done. It was also one of the most incredible canyons we have ever done!
Every step through this amazing rain forest creek requires a deliberate and careful foot placement over huge downed old growth logs, slippery rocks,
false-floors of log rot covered with a thin veneer of bark, leaves, moss, fungus and tree detritus. Sometimes it holds your weight and sometimes it
doesn’t.

High up the mountain off of FS road 5410 the log and rock hopping starts immediately. The upper 7 waterfalls are spaced in fairly short succession,
each one with its own character. We down climbed the first 10 foot waterfall and re-rigged most of the anchors of the other waterfalls. We hauled a
115, 220 and 320 foot ropes, a 320 foot pull cord, 170 feet of webbing.

The last waterfall is the well-known lower Pup Creek Falls. The anchor for this is off a big tree at the edge on the right side LDC. This rappel was
mostly a free hang of 250 feet down to the pool at the base of the falls. The first 20 feet below the big tree has shrub and loose rock to contend with.
The free hang keeps you and your feet off of the fragile moss and lichen covered walls that coat the upper bowl and lower splash zone of this most
amazing and beautiful waterfall. My guess is that we used about 275 feet of the 320 foot ropew for this last rappel.. The 320 foot pull cord just
reached when we extended it out and across the lower pool. Pulling from the left side LDC kept the rope and pull cord from tangling on some brush on an
upper right LDC ledge.

We had several choices for exiting the creek and getting back to our shuttle vehicle parked across the river and up the road ;
We could hike almost 4 miles west to fish creek road and bridge or hike almost 3.5 miles east to Indian Henry Camp ground, or have a raft waiting for us
to take us across the Clackamas river, or swim directly across the Clackamas where Pup joins the river – none of those sounded that exciting.
We settled on a 5th option that we had scoped earlier in the week. We hiked about a mile east to where a very large log lays across the Clackamas at a
narrow river location called the rapids. I chose to scoot across the log and my sons swam across where the current eddies had slowed.

It was a great adventure!


Thanks to CanyoneeringNorthwest.com for Beta


Thanks to my canyoneering partners – sons Justin and Lorin for pictures and carrying big heavy packs.


Doug French


More pictures can be found at


https://picasaweb.google.com/1149702...adesJuly212014


Youtube of lower Pup Creek Falls Rappel


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVGl0aKcZIo



Some Pictures:

[moab mark]

Sweet. Those of you who have not ventured up there yet get it planned. Its amazing.

[Sombeech]

Excellent Trip Report, thanks for posting

[Sun Dance]

That's God's country up there.

[harness man]

Wow, nice trip report!
Oregon is amazing. how as the water temperature?

[tiffanie]

Great trip report! A group of us will be going to Pup Creek 2 weeks from now. Good to know about the option for crossing the log as another exit option.

[accadacca]

Sweeeeet report!

[DiscGo]

I just met your son Justin yesterday, and he shared this link with me. Great TR!

[Kuya]

I can't wait to get back to Oregon! Awesome report!