Silver Creek (Cowlitz)
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=13115
Printed Date: 26 Jun 2025 at 6:38am
Topic: Silver Creek (Cowlitz)
Posted By: Travisimo
Subject: Silver Creek (Cowlitz)
Date Posted: 13 May 2013 at 10:18pm
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We got on Silver Creek on Sunday. The lower road (it's a loop) has been washed out for years. The upper was snowed, so we hiked about 4 miles total. It was a serious undertaking, we took the first abandoned logging road down. It wound up being covered nearly 100% with downed trees for about 2 miles?
The work did pay off though, what an amazing run! The upper half we didn't get on but there's supposedly a 60 footer... Hard to find with water in it. Snowmobiles would have helped. Don't know if I'd have gone if I knew what was ahead, but I'm glad I did. This is the kind of trip I live for! First decent since the 90s, before the road blew out. Sweet run! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWSWPo5_YRM&list=UUeVR5jHYf-5tdRVKJkq8Q6Q&index=1 - Silver Creek (Cowlitz) ------------- H2O please |
Replies:
Posted By: tiziak
Date Posted: 14 May 2013 at 5:28am
 ------------- If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there. Daniel Patrinellis 360.434.4616 |
Posted By: water wacko
Date Posted: 14 May 2013 at 8:09am
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Travis, what time did you guys start driving up/hiking? ------------- "Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." ~Howard Thurman |
Posted By: Travisimo
Date Posted: 14 May 2013 at 10:12am
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Dan, the last line in the post is a youtube link!
you can cut and paste this if it doesn't work... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWSWPo5_YRM&list=UUeVR5jHYf-5tdRVKJkq8Q6Q&index=1 ------------- H2O please |
Posted By: Travisimo
Date Posted: 14 May 2013 at 10:17am
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We met in Randle at 9am, tried to drive around. Looong drive, wasted about 2 hours when we got stopped by snow. Turned around and came back, the parking for the hike and takeout are only 4 miles apart. The takeout bridge is in town, and the putin is 4 miles up the closest road.
We started hiking at about 11:30, and at 4:30 I don't think we'd seen the river yet! I think we were on about 5:15, and there was more whitewater than we thought. One semi-runnable class 5+ we portaged and one big logjam, otherwise pretty clean! No real pools either, continuous 4+ read and run with some of the most old growth I've seen. There was even one growing out of the actual river! Was beautiful, but work! I'd like to put in at the very top eventually to see what's up there! We got to the bridge about 8:30, that is the most beautiful bridge I've seen in a long time.  ------------- H2O please |
Posted By: JD_G
Date Posted: 14 May 2013 at 10:15pm
| Hey Travis. That's a big day! Good to hear the run is mostly clean. Last time I did Lower Silver was 2003 (when the road was still open), and you could still boat under that log jam. Really wish they'd fix FR47, so you could just drive up. Back in the late 90s we did the Lower a couple times, and also one trip on the Upper run. Upper had some interesting drops (more bedrock, and steeper than the Lower), but a fair amount of wood, too. Once the FR from Skate Creek is snow free, should be able to access the Upper run that way. |
Posted By: Travisimo
Date Posted: 15 May 2013 at 3:46pm
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Thanks JD, good to know!
I don't see them fixing that road ever though... huuuuge slide. The upper sounds super interesting now, do you think it'll have water when the snow melts though? How low would you do it and how high have you done it? Really beautiful river, but boy did we pick the wrong putin! Any way that 60 footer is runnable? ------------- H2O please |
Posted By: JD_G
Date Posted: 15 May 2013 at 5:12pm
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Only way they'd fix it, is if they need it for logging. Silver has a lower drainage than others in the Cowlitz, so tends to go out earlier. We had a nice med/med-low flow when we did the Upper (6/5/99).....Cowlitz at Randle 5,600 rising to 6,100; Cowlitz at Packwood 3,000 rising to 3,500. Only did it the one time.
I'm sure by today's generation the big falls would be runnable. Pool depth seemed reasonable, but I'd look more closely if I was going to fire it up. Well done to get in there! It's a pretty run, especially that first stretch. |