The Upper Icicle Creek Gorge is a seldom run stretch of river, that is seldom run for a number of reasons. After running it, I understand why: It has lots of wood and at least 2 portages around riverwide log jams in its short 3.5 miles. Second, the rapids it has are basically one or two if you don’t run the Class V Icicle Creek Gorge Rapid, which is one large drop that you could just run over and over if you wanted, avoiding the rest of the stretch. That all said, I’m glad that I got up to see it while up Icicle this weekend. Its always fun paddling new rivers, and doing a new one with a bunch of other people who have never been on it can make it even more exciting.

The put in for this run is a few miles after Icicle Creek Road turns to gravel, at Rock Island Campground. The first rapid, Rock Island Rapids, is one of the best on the run, and requires putting in on the upstream side of the bridge. There is an island (Rock Island) and the river splits left and right into channels. The right channel is a narrow drop with slightly undercut looking walls, and a sweet flake to boof over the hole on the left side of the drop. It is pretty pushy, but a sweet drop. The left side around the island had wood down in it and was unrunable. This will probably change, but I still think I would run right for a better ride.

The left side of rock island below the log jam.  Some paddlers put in here below the logs.

Looking down the right side of Rock Island Rapids.  Flake on left into white meyhem.

Looking back up into the right side of Rock Island Rapids.

Below here there are a few small Class III rapids. There was a riverwide log jam about 1/2 mile down the run that we portaged left. There was also wood down below the rapid below this jam. That we ran under the far right side behind the rock the wood was propped up on. This stuff was all pretty easy, but would be very dangerous for anyone out of their boat. Its like Class II with Class V consequences.

The first log jam.  Easy to see coming up.  Portage left.

The second log jam is in the distance.  Duck under or go around the right side behind the boulders.  This may shift so approach cautiously.

The river flattens out for the next two miles until the Canyon. There is one more Class III, The Bends, where the river takes a few bends quickly and has lots of wood in it. We misook this for the entrance to the gorge and had a few paddlers hike out to the road here. The rapids are pretty continuous with Class II-III rock gardens and some avoidable logs until you reach the gorge. You know you are approaching it when you see the Icicle Gorge Bridge in the distance. This bridge is directly over the crux rapid in the section.

Catherine, Leif, Travis, and Tom at the portage trail way above the canyon and The Bends.

Another log jam as the river goes through The Bends.

There is a small drop/ slide above the crux. After this, there are a few eddys before the big one.  We set safety here, but the line is pretty straightforward.  Right down the middle is good and then catch the eddy on the left to portage the Class V Icicle Creek Canyon.

Catherine running the last rapid before the crux.

The Icicle Creek Canyon is signaled by the bridge overhead.  Portage left.

We had scouted this drop on the way up, but I wanted to get a closer look before plunging into the abyss of whitewater. The rapid boils down to two huge riverwide ledges with a tricky entrance on the first one, and a bad undercut/ recirculation on the second one. The move I saw in the first drop was to come off the flake river left and ride the tongue off of the water piling on the boulder in the middle, hopefully clearing the hole below. The center and right lines looked doable, but the hole looked a lot nastier on the right side. The lower drop is more straightforward with a lot of water funneling into one tight hole with undercut wall on the left. The right side of this drop looks a lot friendlier than the left.

I totally nailed the line down the left and it was an awesome experience. Coming off the flake, almost everything went white and I could just feel myself moving down the drop. It was pretty surreal. When I came up at the bottom having gone super-deep in the hole, it was a relief to hear the cheers from my friends watching from the bridge above. I hung in the eddy for a few before dropping into the next hole.

Jonathan Blum scouting the drop.

Right on line over the left flake.  Whiteout to the bottom!

The lower drop in this rapid is MUCH bigger than it looks. From the bridge it is fairly innocuous, but it packs a strong punch. When I dropped into it, it blew me straight back onto my back deck and cleared my sinuses instantly! I came up in a huge stern squirt and leveled out in the boiling pool below. There is a strong pull back into this one, so make sure you keep paddling below it.

Jonathan dropping into the lower ledge.

Upper Upper Icicle Creek Gorge (part I, 2.2mb)

Upper Upper Icicle Creek Gorge (part II, 2mb)

The gorge is beautiful from below. Looking back up at the drops was humbling and exciting. Really beautiful spot that you could only see from the river. There was a sweet wave below the drop for surfing (not that you would usually take a playboat down here). The run is mellow from here down with class II rock gardens until the end. You can take out at Ida Creek Campground, or keep going to the pullout where the gravel road turns to pavement.

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