Henline Creek Canyon

Current Status: Closed. This creek was overrun by the Beachie/Santiam Fire in Sept 2020 and has been closed. Please check on local closures before planning a trip to this area. When the area eventually reopens, use extreme caution when descending the creek. Between landslides, fallen trees, and loose rocks, this area may be unstable and dangerous for years to come. The canyon may have changed dramatically. Do not rely on the beta below being accurate. A pretty canyon with rapidfire rappels in the upper section to the bottom of Henline Falls. All rappels are rigged to be in the flow, but flow is relatively low and spread out in wide, gentle cascades making it a good early season candidate and good for beginners. The checkpoint for the water flow is Henline Falls, which can be visited during the approach hike.

From the trailhead, follow the obvious trail along an old road grade for 0.5mi to a junction. The trail to the main falls branches off left; marked with a sign. The Henline Mountain trail goes right and is marked with a mysterious "X" sign on a tree. This junction is easy to miss. Follow the Henline Mountain trail steeply upwards through numerous switchbacks. After another half mile come to an obvious junction. There is another easy-to-miss sign on a tree reading "Trail" with an arrow pointing right. Go right. (If you go down you'll end out at R3.) Continue steeply upwards until ~2600'. Watch for a large obvious rock formation (pictured below) on the left side of the trail. Just after, break off the trail and make your way downward to the creek. Head downstream 100ft to the top of R1.

Henline canyon is wide and has plenty of trees. It can be run at high flow, but it's more fun to run in moderate or low flow as you can rappel right down the middle of the waterfalls. If rappelling out of the water, please do your best to avoid scraping off the moss and trampling vegetation. These falls are frequently visited by photographers who will not appreciate the ugly black streaks (aka "vertical trails") created by careless rappellers. This is particularly important in Upper Henline which is visited frequently by non-canyoner visitors. It is recommended to exit the creek after the main falls (5h-6h) and follow the trail back out. Below Henline Falls there is a long stretch of creek walking with frequent boulder obstacles. If you have time, however, one can descend all the way to Opal Creek (6h-8h). You may can combine Henline with the descent of the "fabulous narrows" section of Opal Creek Narrows for a full day. Next a very pleasant creek walk on soft moss and grippy white bedrock. You can exit here via the Henline Falls trail or continue downstream. Lower Henline is not quite as action-packed. Expect significant creek-walking. Up to six jumps from 5-18ft are possible but require skill, accuracy, and/or shallow entry techniques. As always, depth should be checked before attempting.

From the bottom of Henline Falls, take the well maintained hiker trail about 20 minutes back to the trailhead. From the bottom of the R10, look DCR to spot a trail. Follow it back up to the top of the falls and continue all the way back up to the road.