Duncan Creek

Duncan is the number one best creek in the Portland area for training and practice. It sports everything found in aquatic canyons, but on a smaller scale. There are several short narrows and an unusual number of deep pools. There are lots of short drops for practicing rigging, downclimbs, and a few spots that lend themselves to short jumps and slides. It has a little of everything. Duncan runs high in the early season (and is great fun if you enjoy swiftwater), but somewhere in May or June the water level drops and becomes beginner-friendly. A good way to estimate flow is to visit the checkpoint (R10) and see how much water, if any, is flowing down the Moss Chasm. If you see more than a trickle, Duncan is running high.

There are many unsigned user trails in the area. Starting at the powerlines, walk up the road to the Nellie Corser trailhead and follow the obvious trail west. Eventually, you'l reach an easy-to-miss junction high above the creek; go right. The trail eventually drops down to the creek. Cross and pick up the trail again on the far side. The trail you want heads off north on the west side. Go upstream about 0.25mi and drop in just above Quad Falls (~1500ft elevation).

This canyon has unlinked anchor stations; please do not add webbing to the bolts. Groups should be familiar with how to rig unlinked anchors. Jumping is a leading cause of canyon injury. Look before you leap. Always send down a scout to check the depth, look for hidden obstacles, etc. R1-R5 is referred to as Quad Falls. The canyon opens below R5 with an escape trail DCR. Walk downstream 5-10min. A short distance, there's an opportunity to escape DCR. Below are two new downclimbs where the big logjam used to be. Continue downstream on bedrock slabs to the Crossing. Optional exit here on the trail you hiked in on. Below the crossing is a high tourist area. Please do not leave fixed anchors below this point. Ahead is the finale. In high water, the creek splits around a rocky island. In low water, it all pours down the DCL side. Some options:

Below the last rappel, exit the creek immediately DCL to a user trail. Follow this up and take a shortcut back to the parking area.