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Huberts Creek Prospect
The following beta and photos were provided by Chris Hood.
Huberts Creek is a small drainage dropping into the upper
Squamish Riveer, just above the junction of the Squamish and
Elaho Rivers. The stream is reached by following the Squamish
Valley road north from town to a junction with the Elaho road
system near milepost 37 on the good gravel road. Keep right
at this point and continue past milepost 38 to a gate (generally
open) and a bridge over Hubert Creek just beyond. There is
ample parking in a layby.
The creek drops into a short granitic slot canyon just below
the road before opening out and flowing into the Squamish
River. There is a two-tiered drop of maybe 30 or 40 feet into
the slot, with the bottom accessible via steep bush on canyon
left. The interesting part, however, is upstream. Head into
bush immediately right (canyon left) of the stream and follow
a mossy, wooded, ramp/bench system upstream. The creek drops
through a series of short granitic slots bordered by steep
mossy forest and a second tier of walls beyond the wide bench/ramp
system. The slots are shallow, but are in places nicely carved
by the stream. Moss and ferns are abundant. The stream drops
through numerous cascades in the 10 to 20 foot range, and
at one point there is a small natural bridge eroded by the
force of the water. The slot is very watery, and there may
be a glacial contribution. Natural anchor possibilities in
the streambed appear to be limited, and water levels as of
the end of June are too high for anything other than a terminal
descent. The series of slots continue upstream for an unknown
distance.
I explored for maybe 300m before turning around. If the water
level drops significantly, this canyon looks like it would
be a rewarding and very challenging descent (maybe a 4C??).
As it is, the gorge is still a fun place to explore, and there
are a few access points to the edge of the water. The scary
thing is that even on the 1:20,000 scale TRIM maps, the canyon
is not obvious.
Click on the thumbnails below to enlarge:
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