Queets Canyon

Beta provided http://canyoneeringnorthwest.com but is no longer running, but still can be accessed by The WayBack Machine https://archive.org/web/ Queets Canyon could be called the Mount Everest of canyons on the Olympic Peninsula. It has big water, big falls, and has yet to be fully explored. In the heart of the canyon there are at least three substantial falls and possibly more. The highest is 125 feet and is called Service Falls. Only a handful of people have ever seen it without flying over in a plane. No one has descended it. Queets Canyon should be attempted only by canyoneers with extensive swift water experience and who are equipped, both mentally and physically, to deal with advanced canyoning challenges in a remote wilderness. Queets Canyon is located near the head of the Queets River in one of the most remote places in the Olympic Mountains. The watershed at the canyon is not especially large, but it contains several glaciers so water flow is substantial. The best time to find low water would be in September after the winter snow has melted and the cooler temperatures have slowed glacial melting. Any one attempting this remote and difficult canyon should plan on being out at least a week and possibly much longer. In 1992 a group of kayakers descended the river. They left the river and detoured around the hardest part of the canyon and most of the falls. A brief account of their trip is included below. More recently Mike MacFerrin has made three lengthy solo trips up river into the canyon in hope of reaching and photographing Service Falls. He succeeded on his third attempt in 2008. Photos and fascinating accounts of Mike�s arduous treks into the canyon can be found on his website at www.rainforesttreks.com It is highly recommended that people planning a trip into this area read Mike�s accounts in order to fully understand the challenges of travel in this area.

To descend the canyon you will need to get to the headwaters of the river at Queets Basin. There are several ways of doing this. By any route it is a long hike that will take two days and possibly more. One route is to hike the Elwha River trail to Elwha Basin. Climb northwest to Dodwell Rixon Pass and descend to Queets Basin. A shorter route is to hike the trail up the North Fork of the Quinalt River. Follow the trail over Low Divide, join the Elwha River trail , and continue as above. Once in Queets Basin, follow the river downstream for about two miles to the canyon. A few pictures of the Elwha Snow Finger in September 2018:

Undescended; a group of kayakers have descended it in 1992, bypassed the hardest section.

The canyon is about a mile long. Once through the canyon (assuming that you make it) you have two choices for your return route. You can leave the river, ascend slopes on its west, and make a difficult traverse high above the canyon and return to the river above the canyon. This would enable you to return the same way you came. Read Mike�s account for an idea of what that is like. An easier option is to follow the Queets River downstream. Allow at least three days to reach the road. Maps: USGS Mount Queets, Mount Olympus The following photos were provided by Mike MacFerrin. More fine photos can be seen at http://community.webshots.com/user/gobluehiker and at his website www.rainforesttreks.com ^Both Sites seem to also be no longer up, way back couldn't recover anything from them either