Nac Snap Photography

This is one of my all time favorite waterfall hikes because the entire hike is beautiful and it's great for a beginner in any season.

Quick Trail Specs:

• Round Trip it’s right under 4 miles
• Total elevation gain is about 600 feet in 2 miles
• It’s an Out&Back type of trail meaning you leave the same way you went in
• It requires a NW Forest Pass or you could be fined/towed

The main difference between summer and winter? Ice and snow. In the summer the trail is easy to follow and is littered with rocks from size of gravel to giant boulders. In winter everything is covered in a blanket of snow so the trail seems a lot flatter but sometimes it’s really deep snow – be careful where you step, especially in the boulder field area. There are a few areas where you’re going uphill on an incline and when it’s icy it’s like a slide. I’ve seen people sliding on their butts because they were wearing just sneakers (I’ve even seen sandals). You can probably make it to the waterfall just fine, but the downhill areas on the way out gets slick with the ice. I suggest strongly that you wear crampons, but if you don’t then at least carry them so you have the option.

Anyways, here are pictures from both seasons for your comparison 🙂

The Trail and the Hike:

This hike has a decent sized parking lot with a vault style toilet that usually has TP. There is now also signage that gives you some info and allows you to pay for the $5 parking fee via envelope in case you don’t have/forget a pass (this is new, it was broken all winter of 2020 so hopefully it sticks around!). Please don’t be an jerk and park behind other people… that’s rude. If the parking fills up I’ve seen people park on the highway or in the lot across the highway on the other side. I wouldn’t recommend it as I’ve seen people getting towed… but that’s your risky call to make!

The trek starts out on a bridge over a gorgeous river then proceeds to the right twisting and turning and then turns into an incline until you reach the top. If you start seeing the highway you were just driving in, you know you’re close to the top! It’s almost a 2 person wide trail, but there’s also a drop on the edge. I always tell my kid to stick to the mountain side. We almost lost a yorkie here because a 4 year old was leading the dog and turned the corner to quick and thank heaven it had a harness because the thing went over the edge but we were able to pull it back in…. anyways, then it starts to go back downhill for awhile until you reach the next bridge. This spot is horrible for traction without crampons when the path is icy, but people do it… on their butts.

I always say, "stick to the mountain side"

When you reach the bridge you’ll see another gorgeous river and you’ll go to the left through some big roots that are super cool looking.

The hike weaves and switches between rocky to dirt to some muddy spots and goes by gorgeous little waterfalls and follows the river pretty much the entire time. In the winter it just looks like a snowy path following a river (it’s beautiful though the entire time, and if you go around November you get the magical snow covered branches like it’s a winter wonderland that I posted above).

Then it starts to go uphill again until you hit my daughter’s favorite part: the big boulders!!! This part looks really scary at first, but there’s actually a decent trail through it. My mom is insane (with her knee issues) and on the way down decided to try and boulder over it instead of following the trail…. Needless to say I was cautiously following behind her and rolling my eyes.

In the winter it’s much harder to see so hopefully someone already left you impressions to follow from their snowshoes. As winter progresses the trail gets pretty well packed down since it’s used so often. I have accidentally stepped on snow and post-holed to my knee, so be careful because snow packs can be deceiving. In the summer you can see all the rocks and it’s really cool! The trail is very easy to see and the giant boulders are very tempting to jump across and climb. It looks like there are two paths in this area as well, and you can take either because they come out at the same point. If you keep following one of the forking trails though it’ll lead you further uphill and onto Elk Meadow Trail and away from the waterfall. There is a sign at the beginning of this split. If it starts getting steep and you lose the river, you’re on the wrong trail.

After that it’s a bit more incline, a couple more bends around the mountain, and you’ll start seeing the waterfall!!! Time for a summit prize and pictures!

Getting Behind the Waterfall:

• Without Ice/snow: so if there is no ice on the ground and nothing is frozen (or very lightly frozen) the best path is to go up as far as you can to the right side of the canyon and then follow the edge over the boulders and through the bushes and around. Be prepared for it to be wet and therefore muddy and slick. Also be wary of moving and unstable rocks. Be careful not to slip because it’s steep and it’s hard and painful to stop yourself if you go sliding towards the river. You’ll know what I mean by stay at the top because you can’t go up any further 🙂
• With Ice/Snow: You could probably go the same route… but I don’t. I stay low, go underneath the fallen tree, and climb up when I get closer to the waterfall. This route is a little more crampon friendly and gives a gradual rise and I don’t get as wet. Plus, the wind blows the falls up towards the edge so most of the area near the top is under a thick layer of ice. Stay away from the river edge because the snow is thicker than you think and you can’t guarantee it won’t fall out from underneath you since snow can hide the spot where the ground ends, you know?

Silly Fun Facts about our Adventure:

Food consumed: 1 granola bar, 2 applesauce packets, 2 fruit snacks, 1 snack size ziploc of peanut butter pretzels, and a summit prize Kinder Egg.

Water consumed: My water bladder has never been depleted on this hike

Bathroom needs during Hike: Never been experienced, but we’ve seen other kids veer off the path and pee… and some yellow snow on the edges (human or animal? Not sure…)

A word of caution to this tale: Please take all precautions to do the activity safely and knowledgeably and do not base your decisions on my blog alone. I am not liable for your choice to hike or for the outcome of your hikes. I can only inform and entertain based on my own experience.