LeBar Creek
LeBar Creek
LeBar Creek is a tributary of the South Fork of the
Skokomish River. It has cut a long scenic canyon with
some beautiful narrows. The topo map gives very little
indication of the length of the canyon The following
route description includes only the lowest two miles
of the creek. There is more canyon above the drop in
point.
To get there, take state highway 101 from Olympia. Go
27 miles and turn left (west) onto the Skokomish
Valley Road. Go 5.5 miles and bear right on forest
service road 23. In 9.8 miles the road crosses a
bridge over the South Fork of the Skokomish River.
Just after the bridge there is a four way
intersection. Bear left on road 2353. In 0.2 mile
there is a bridge over LeBar Creek, and the pavement
ends. This is the lower end of the trip. Continue
about up road 2353 passing LeBar Horse camp. In about
a mile bear right at an intersection. A very short
distance after the intersection an abandoned road
takes off to the right. Park there. The old road is
blocked by a berm.
Hike the old road about a half mile and bushwack east
downhill at any convenient point. The brush is not
bad. You will soon come to the canyon. It may be
necessary to rappel into the canyon, but with careful
route finding you can find a passage down without a
rope. Going downstream you will eventually come to
two small waterfalls created by large logjams. The
falls are about 200 yards apart. The first can be
descended by a short rappel or careful downclimbing.
The second falls are best descended with a very short
rappel off a log. The narrows immediately downstream
are especially nice. Eventually you will come to a
25 foot waterfall. You can traverse left on ledges
and rappel off a small tree. Do not pull your rope
yet. Immediately downstream there is a very narrow
section the entrance of which is blocked by a steep
logjam. If you cant get over the log jam, and your
rope has been pulled you will be trapped. If
necessary you can ascend the rope and go up canyon
about a hundred yards to where you can escape west out
of the canyon. This will bring you out at the LeBar
Horse camp. Downstream of the log jam there are a few
small waterfalls in the narrows.(This section was
scouted from the rim.)
After that the canyon opens up, and it is an easy hike
downstream to the bridge. This lower section contains
some wonderful conglomerate walls on the left, quite a
change from the basalt typically found in the canyons
of the Olympic peninsula.
If you wish to explore the upper reaches of LeBar
Creek, it can be easily accessed by taking road 2354
from the four way intersection. In about 2 miles road
200 takes off to the left. It is in poor condition so
a high clearance vehicle is recommended.
Maps: USGS Lightning Peak Quad. The Olympic
National Forest Hood Canal Ranger District map is
very useful for navigating roads in the area.
photos are at www.canyoneeringnor
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