FUN FACT: Creek run with a big water feel. Very continuous with some big drops.
SEASON: Through the winter and spring.
ACCESS: Take-out at the Mountain Loop Highway Bridge just outside of Granite Falls (Granite Falls lurks just downstream so make sure you get out here). Verlot Campground is one potential public access point if you're looking for a warm-up. Alternative hike-in access of about a mile, which cuts off some of the flatwater, is available along the Old Robe Historical Trail which is part of Snohomish County Parks. Access across private property east of the trailhead is also possible if you have permission (check with local paddlers. You can find them on the Robe Facebook Group).
DESCRIPTION:
Considered one of North America's classic whitewater runs, and the class V standard for boaters in Western Washington, the run starts with five and a half miles of class I/II before slamming into a three mile canyon of class IV, V, and V+ rapids. You can have a look at the rapids at the start of the canyon along the Old Robe Historical Trail (an old railroad grade through the canyon) and potentially use it as an alternative access (although it's nearly a mile to the river). The trailhead is on Mt. Loop Highway at mile 7.2 and you can view approximately 1/2 a mile of the canyon's whitewater before the trail basically ends.
Check out a
video guide
to Robe Canyon.
From: Shane Robinson Date: November 18, 2006 8:16 PM Subject: River changes: post flood Just went down Robe today. Every rapid on that river has changed. Some dramatically. The biggest change is that T1 and T2 are pretty much gone, and all of that gradient is now lost at once in Last Sunshine. And the only way to portage and/or scout Last Sunshine is to get out on River Right at Tunnel Rapid (basically the first one), and walk through the tunnel and take a look at Last Sunshine from the bottom. It will likely be a portage for most people and I recommend just portaging to the bottom of it. There are some other major changes, however, they are easy enough to figure out with some prudent scouting.
As of 11/23, there is a log stuck parellel to the current in the left most slot of Last Sunshine. You can get by it on the left, but it's worth scouting first.
10 years ago
by n/a
11 years ago
by
USGS gauge SF Stillaguamish nr. Granite Falls. The USGS has not recently taken discharge measurements here so there is no stage-discharge curve for this site. On the staff gauge 4.0-4.7 is the lower range of flows and although it's slightly more forgiving some bad sieves open up and pin potential is high. At 5.0-5.8 the river becomes much more pushy but sieve danger goes down--many consider flows of 5.4-5.6 to be ideal. Above 5.8 the river jumps up another notch and becomes even more pushy and strong class V skills are required.
Permits are not required for this reach.
48.092300 ,-121.783997
48.102798 ,-121.953003
NA
We have no additional detail on this route. Use the map below to calculate how to arrive to the main town from your zipcode.
T2 headed toward Last Sunshine 2015
Will Grubb and David Spiegel below Last Sunshine
Sam Chelsey and Jordy Searle, below Last Sunshine
Rob McKibbon on Conversation
Off Broadway
Garbage
Catchers Mitt
Below Landslide
New Last Sunshine, 5-07
Headed for T2
Tunnel
T1
Robe Canyon, Monte Cristo Railroad
Robe Canyon - T1
Robe Canyon - Tunnel
Robe Canyon, High Water
Robe Canyon
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