Nelson Creek

Be aware: Nelson Creek is on private land. Please see Red Tape before running this creek. A nice short (few hours) objective -- possibly one that can be combined with other outings in the area. Nelson Creek seems to sport good flow early in the season, but reduces to a trickle in late August. Expect some swimming. Nelson culminates with a swim through a 300ft long tunnel.

From Bridge of the Gods, go east on Hwy 14. Follow Hwy 14 for 3.9mi, passing through the town of Stevenson to locate a large pullout on the right/south side of the road. It is the first pullout just past the Stevenson Cemetary. The pullout is just across from "Passage Way" - a private drive. Either walk or shuttle to the upper trailhead. Use caution if walking along Hwy 14 as cars come barreling along at high speeds. Follow Hwy 14 east for 0.3mi, before turning left onto much quieter Nelson Creek Rd. Follow the winding road upwards for 0.5mi, keeping an eye out left for a guard-rail. One can either park in a pullout immediately before the guardrail or continue ahead 100ft to a much larger pullout across the street from a private residence. Total hike time: 15min. Please respect the locals and drop down into the creek before donning wetsuits. From the upper parking area, walk north up the road. On passing the driveway to the private home on your right, watch carefully on the left side for a dirty trail disappearing downwards into the bushes. Keep a close eye out as it's not immediately obvious. Follow the trail steeply downwards and you'll drop right in on what looks like a makeshift water collection station with a small working electric pump. The pump likely serves one of the local residences, so touch nothing. Walk downstream all of 2min to the top of R1.

Below R2, stay DCL and scramble through house-sized boulders for 200ft. Watch for a big tree DCL which marks a possible exit: a dirt trail that switchbacks steeply upwards to the road. Beware poison oak along the escape route. Head downstream about 5-10min. It can be thrashy depending on the season. Stay in the creek all the way to then end to find a giant culvert passing underneath Hwy 14 and the RR tracks. The tunnel is huge; people have kayaked through it before when the river is high enough. Wade or swim the tunnel out into the Columbia River - an amusing finale to Nelson Creek. Headlamp unnecessary during the daylight hours.

Once through the tunnel bear west (DCR) along the shore a 100yrds and then climb out on the rocks wherever is easiest. Make your way up a steep bank, cross the RR tracks to your waiting car. While clearly fishermen frequent the shore here from time to time, be aware that walking on the tracks is trespassing, so make the crossing short & sweet. Freight trains come barreling through here at 60mph with little-to-no warning, so this is not a good place to linger or go for a walk. Changing out of wetsuits right along Hwy 14 is not recommended. Instead of giving the neighbors and passing drivers a show, head west on Hwy 14 about 0.8mi to Stevenson. At the west end of town where the main road diverges from the business route, turn off immediately left on an unsigned road toward Sailboard Park. The road become dirt briefly, crosses a small creek, then goes under the RR tracks. Once under the bridge, look for a large pullout on your right and a pedestrian bridge/walkway on your left. Park here and walk in to a largely unsigned hidden picnic area which makes for a much better place to change. Nice views of the river here and good place to relax and enjoy a post-canyon festive beverage. Drive-time: ~2 minutes.