Sky valley road closure update
Printed From: ProfessorPaddle.com
Category: General
Forum Name: Whitewater Forum
Forum Discription: Open Discussion Forum. Whitewater related subjects only
URL: http://www.professorpaddle.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=10142
Printed Date: 26 Sep 2025 at 7:17pm
Topic: Sky valley road closure update
Posted By: huckin harms
Subject: Sky valley road closure update
Date Posted: 18 Oct 2010 at 10:20am
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Just spoke with a Sky Ranger about the road closure for Money Crk. and Index-Galena rd. Money creek road is county road that is being repaired from a mud slide. The rep said the road should be open again in a couple weeks- hopefully. Just in time for the November rains to wash it out again :) The county just put out a newsletter in Sept about the Index-Galena road. Bad news is could be 2015 before a fix is in place (if it is approved at all)! The good news is that the Forest Service has plans to hopefully reopen Troublesome Crk campground in 2011, which will mean that the gate will be moved down to near MM 10.9. That is good because the access to the upper NF Sky canyon run will get easier via Jacks pass- the shuttle will still be a ------! All this doesn't help much for getting into Silver crk, maybe shortening the hike in by a mile or so.
At anyrate, here's the link to the newsletter:
http://www.co.snohomish.wa.us/documents/Departments/Public_Works/Roads/Projects/indexgalNL0910WEB.pdf - http://www.co.snohomish.wa.us/documents/Departments/Public_Works/Roads/Projects/indexgalNL0910WEB.pdf
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Replies:
Posted By: Monk
Date Posted: 18 Oct 2010 at 1:26pm
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I was just up in the Sky-Troublesome Creek area on Sunday. There are some beautiful granite gorges up there! Anyone hear of folks running that Bear Creek Falls rapid, even at lower water? I couldn't make out all the drops from the wet rocks above, but most of them looked like they could go at the right flow, but could get dicey for sure. |
Posted By: Monk
Date Posted: 18 Oct 2010 at 1:26pm
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Posted By: PowWrangler
Date Posted: 18 Oct 2010 at 4:23pm
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I know Tao has run BC falls, probably others have as well. You'd probably want a low late summer flow. I've seen them at high water and it's hard to see any object getting out of those hydraulics, especially the second to last drop. |
Posted By: water wacko
Date Posted: 19 Oct 2010 at 9:38am
| I ran that stretch in '08 with a healthy 16k on the main during spring high water. The lead in to Bear Creek Falls is deceptively flat. We almost kept going. The lead in was a class I-II sweeping left bend with no eddies. The lead in stretch is about 40-50 yards long, bending back to the right just before going out of sight. I could make out the beginnings of a granite wall coming out of the dirt hillside on the outside of the turn (RL). I knew it was coming, but didn't know what it looked like from above. Glad we stopped. At 16k I think a body would simply be held under for so long that air would run out before one could get another breath. Unless the hydraulics just crushed all the air out of your chest, breaking ribs and tearing limbs off. It is certainly an impressive bit of whitewater. |
Posted By: JoesKayak
Date Posted: 19 Oct 2010 at 12:11pm
| Thanks for the update, Harms. Man, I miss the NF. |
Posted By: Monk
Date Posted: 19 Oct 2010 at 12:24pm
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Water Wacko, At 1/10th the flows on the Sky it looks more like this: http://www.waterfallsnorthwest.com/nws/image.php?st=WA&num=157&p=0 Of course, then you probably wouldn't want to be on the rest of the NF Sky... |
Posted By: jP
Date Posted: 19 Oct 2010 at 7:10pm
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thanks for the update, Mr. Harms.
That Sky drainage sure pulls in a lot of precip. can't wait to zip up there for some fall action when things swell up... ------------- 🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋 |