PNWSights

By Astrid · 7 places

7 Waterfalls at Full Flow

Spring melt, fresh rain and rivers running loud

A waterfall in August tells you nothing. Come in late spring, or after three days of rain, when the rivers run loud and the mist drifts a hundred feet from the drop. This is the circuit I make when the water is up.

  1. Multnomah Falls drops in two tiers over dark basalt cliffs, with a thin upper ribbon of water falling to the historic stone footbridge and a broader lower cascade plunging into a small pool below. Lush green trees frame the misty scene, and the long-exposure blur gives the water a silky, soft look.
    1

    Troutdale

    Multnomah Falls

    Oregon's tallest falls hits peak volume with spring snowmelt, and the 1914 stone footbridge gives the two tiers their scale. I arrive first thing in the morning for soft light and an empty frame.

  2. Snoqualmie Falls plunges over a rocky cliff in a wide, misty morning view, with the river spilling into a deep canyon framed by dense evergreen forest. A lodge and small buildings sit along the left rim while spray rises across the lower right side of the falls.
    2

    Seattle

    Snoqualmie Falls

    Late spring turns this into a wall of whitewater a hundred feet taller than Niagara. The steep trail to the lower platform puts you at the base, inside the roar.

  3. A rushing blue-green river surges through a narrow, moss-covered canyon, framed by tall old-growth evergreens and leafy spring trees. Sunlight brightens the forest canopy while the water breaks around dark rocks and a fallen log along the rocky bank.
    3

    Port Angeles

    Sol Duc Falls

    The river splits into three or four channels and drops into a narrow basalt canyon, all of it framed from a footbridge directly above. Overcast days keep the light even under the old growth.

  4. Wahclella Falls pours in a bright white ribbon from a narrow basalt slot into a shadowy gorge, framed by moss-covered canyon walls. Ferns, driftwood, and rounded boulders fill the foreground around the splash pool in soft morning light.
    4

    Cascade Locks

    Wahclella Falls

    Tanner Creek funnels 350 feet of water into a mossy basalt canyon that stays shaded all day, so the exposure works at any hour. The fern-lined walk in is under two miles.

  5. A powerful white waterfall plunges over dark lava rock into a misty pool, framed by dense old-growth forest and moss-covered cliffs. Soft morning light and drifting spray give the scene a cool, moody feel.
    5

    McKenzie Bridge

    Sahalie Falls

    A hundred feet of the McKenzie pours over a lava dam into turquoise, and the mist reaches the paved overlook. I keep a microfiber cloth in one hand the entire time.

  6. A wide black-and-white view of Upper Proxy Falls shows multiple thin streams fanning over a moss-covered cliff in a dense old-growth forest, with fallen logs crossing the scene. Bright water contrasts with deep shade from towering firs and cedars, and a person sits on one log near the falls for scale.
    6

    Sisters

    Proxy Falls

    Upper Proxy fans 226 feet down a mossy face, and the lower falls drops into a pool that simply vanishes into porous lava. Highway 242 has to be open, so this one waits for early summer.

  7. A narrow wooden footbridge crosses a rocky, mostly dry creek bed in dense green forest, with sunlight patching the trail and ferns along the steep banks. Two hikers in the distance add scale to the shaded mountain path.
    7

    Index

    Bridal Veil Falls (Index)

    At 1,328 feet this is one of the tallest waterfalls in Washington, streaming off Mount Index in tiers. Late spring snowmelt is when the spray reaches the viewpoint.

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