Bacon Creek
Falls Creek to Skagit River confluence
| Difficulty | II-III(V) |
| Length | 5.3 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 38 fpm |
| Gauge | Bacon Creek Below Oakes Creek Near Marblemount, Wa |
| Flow Rate as of 1 hour | 517 cfslow runnable |
| Reach Info Last Updated | May 26, 2025 |
Projects
Beginning high in the North Cascades, the Skagit Wild and Scenic River winds down steep slopes, through forested hillsides and wide open valleys, eventually reaching Puget Sound. The rivers of this system – the Skagit, Sauk, Suiattle, and Cascade – flow through rugged wilderness, forestlands, rural communities, farmlands, and [...]Read More
River Description
NOTE: If you put in all the way at the top of the Bacon at the bridge you will be just above and slightly out of sight of the class V cascades.
If you are here for the Class II-III paddling DO NOT use the bridge unless you find extremely arduous portages fun.
Put in downstream.
The Bacon is a curious creek for the Northern Cascades and Skagit River valley. Most of it is class II-III but there is a huge set up rapids at the top of the river.
It is amazingly beautiful and feels isolated with the isolation being somewhat artificial because hiking up the valley/gorge to the road on river left is almost always an option. The majority of the river can handle some large flows and run both with winter rains and summer or spring snowmelt.
The other 5+ miles of the Bacon are a wonderful Class II-III float with a few exciting rapids. The majority of the Bacon is a beautiful boulder field filled river with crystal clear water.
So how do you access this river without class V skills or a terrible portage?
There are two good options.
The first is to drive up Bacon Rd. (FR 1060) from the Skagit until you are approximately 3 from the hwy. You will have just driven through a small side stream on the dirt road. There will be a spur off the forest service road that drops down to the left. Take this down to the dead end and unload. The dirt road used to be longer and washed out just past the dead end. Walk your boat straight along the now overgrown road bed to a small creek (~50 feet from the roads end). Walk down the creek ~50-80 feet to the river. This put in allows you to access around 2.3 miles of the Bacon. It is just above one of the more entertaining sections.
The second and probably best option for anyone looking to get a full float out of this is the access the river below the big cascades at the top. Drive about 4.5 miles on the main Bacon Rd. and don’t take that spur on the left. Before you arrive at th
...River Features
Put In
If you want to run the monsterous cascades put in at the bridge
The cascades
If you are a good class V boater or for some reason an extreme glutton for punishment putting in at the bridge will set up up just upstream of a massive series of waterfalls and big rapids. These were 90% clean in 2025 but often pick up wood. Not all are boatable at many water levels. Walking around them is torturous and since you can access the stream below them why would you be on this part unless you were plannign to boat them.
Final Big Drops
The cascading waterfalls and rapids start to taper down to class IV to IV+ after the big drops.
Upper hike in access
For most normal boaters interested in the Bacon the access here is probably the best option. There was a large flood and landslide across the road. The road is still covered in large gravel and the site is very noticeable. There is also a nice roadside camp/pullout/turn around just before the gravel. Hiking down hill along the gravel washout is a very simple option. The distance is about 500 feet with no big drops or fallen trees to scramble over. This drops you at the last real rapid in the cascades. It would give class II-III boaters the option to boat the beautiful river and not deal with the monster rapid at the top. Adventurous boaters can easily walk upstream and ferry to run some of the smaller rapids on the cascades.
The rapid just above or at the upper acess hike in
If you hike in at the upper access you will arrive at a beach across from this final real rapid.
Final big class III
Well below the big rapids at the top is one more large Class III rapid that can get pretty big at high water
Take Out
Trip Reports
Log in to add a report78 deg day early May, Bacon melted just enough on a beauty of a day! One tree about 1/2 mi from the put in, would be a portage at higher water.
What an enchanting little river! All the twists and turns through forested constrictions and open braided sections with mountain views will keep you wondering what's around the riverbend. The approachable class 3 nature of the run makes it suitable for many. But as always, with small, forested rivers, be prepared for wood.
Thanks to whoever cut the trail down to the river! Well done.
The run was pretty clean of wood. There was one log jam the current pushes towards with passage on the right. Alternatively you could just portage it via a cobble bar. There was one small log spanning a channel a couple hundred yards above the take out that we portaged around. Current was calm above the log.
We did encounter a black bear swimming across the river! I guess he wanted some Bacon too!
Flow was low at 450 cfs, but only bumped rock a couple times on some of the cobble bar braids. Could probably run it a bit lower without much dragging. Easy first time flow for the run.
This is a great run for anyone that enjoys exploring intimate little rivers!
Near the end of the run is one more large class III rapid
The drop at the top hike in point
This is a view standing on the last real rapid in the cascades. The full view and scale is hard to appreciate with the largest drop just visable in the image.
See the description on the general tab.
After the larger watefall and rock jumbles the river is still a solid class IV
The cascading rapids that start soon after the birdge finally end here at a rocky ramp toward a big boulder. This is the last large rapid for a mile.
A view of the rocks and rapids from the road access at the top