Evans Creek

Current Status: Open. Be aware: this creek was overrun by the Beachie/Santiam Fire in Sept 2020. 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. Evans Creek is a major tributary of the Little North Santiam River, north of the small community of Elkhorn Valley. It's a close cousin of Henline next door, but the rappels are spaced further apart. Best done with a shuttle. Map and GPS are handy as the exit route is not entirely obvious. Evans has three main waterfalls spaced out over 1.25 miles. There's also a small, cave-like, boulder drop between the upper and middle drop that has some neat geology.

Enter Evans Creek via a side drainage that drops in just before the upper falls. This will add 3-5 rappels. There is also a decent ridge that can be walked that avoids the rappels For extra bonus points, there's another waterfall immediately upstream of the road. Thrash up the climber's right side of the drainage and drop back in above it. The falls is about 30ft high but may require more rope to get down. It is possible to pass through the culvert underneath the road, but be aware: the stream drops about 12ft on the far side requiring tunnel-crawlers to undertake an awkward downclimb out one side or the other and down a dirty embankment. Below, pass through an interesting bedrock area with several downclimbs and slides. There's a 10ft slide into a pool, followed by a second drop which can be downclimbed.

Downstream, the creek passes through a nice narrows with some areas of bedrock. It's about 0.3mi to: Continue downstream another 0.3mi through more bedrock areas to the middle falls. Along the way:

Exit the creek immediately below the last drop up an old logging grade / game trail. Follow this east/southeast through some brush to eventually encounter an old logging track. Folow this back out to Evans Mountain Road. A map & GPS are handy to keep you on track here. The exit takes 15-20min. (Do not keep going down the creek or you will enter private property.)