A Fall hike to Falls Creek Falls

Well we started spring with what may have been my new favorite waterfall, and it didn't even get to hold that crown for a year. Sorry Abiqua Falls, you are now second place.

It was cold, it was very wet, and it was a long drive for a short hike, but it was pretty well worth it and we shall go back, hopefully in spring.

Falls Creek Falls is tucked away north of Carson in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, between Mt. Adams and Mt. St. Helens in lower Washington. It is a giant 3-tiered high volume monster of a waterfall that rumbles over 300 feet from tip to toe. It has been on my list for a while, but the drive kept me away.

Getting there was a long but beautiful drive. Go through the gorge until Carson, WA, then head north on the Wind River highway for a while until taking a couple turns onto a gravel road with a major pothole problem for the final mile. The potholes aren't bad if you take it slow, but there are a lot of the damn things. Still nowhere close to Silver Star Mtn, the worst road in history.

The trailhead is wide and the path is clearly popular, because even on this cold rainy day there were still upwards of 10 cars. The trees were in full color, which is hilarious. The trees that change colors in the PNW are all a lot shorter than the trees that do not, meaning that all around you are mighty tall evergreens with this bizarre under-layer of yellow at the base. Makes for a strange contrast.

Pardon the water drops, it was very wet out

There are a couple trail options in the area but since it was crappy out we did the basic 2 miles on the lower trail to the base of the falls. It was a pretty gentle uphill the whole time, crossed over Falls Creek on nice bridges a couple of times, and was generally very pretty. After 1.5 miles, you turn a corner and suddenly things get louder, and soon after that you get a glimpse of the top of the falls, which really sets the stage for what's coming. The top of the falls looks impossibly high from there, and in fact this upper tier is impossible to see from the lower viewpoint.

First glimpse of the falls through the trees

Shortly after the glimpse, the trail stops at the base of the falls, and the scope of the thing smacks you in the face. No picture does the size of the falls justice in the slightest. It feels huge and there was a ton of water flowering over it. This was wonderland type shit. I loved it. I could have sat there looking at it and grabbing pictures for an hour if it wasn't so cold and wet.

The lower tier

Middle tier

However it was very cold and wet so we went home.

There is an upper loop option to the falls, but we decided to save it for a better day.
3.65 miles, maybe 800 ft of elevation, lots of excess waterweight.