Sol Duc Falls
Port Angeles, WA
Sol Duc Falls is a multi-tiered waterfall where the Sol Duc River splits into three or four channels dropping roughly 25 feet into a narrow basalt canyon. The falls are reached via a 0.8-mile trail through old-growth forest from the Sol Duc trailhead. A photogenic footbridge crosses directly above the falls, providing an elevated vantage point.
Photography Guide
- Best Time
- morning
- Crowds
- Moderate
- Shot Types
- long-exposurewidelandscapedetail
- Best Seasons
- springsummerfall
Author's Comments
The walk in is part of the photograph, even if you do not realize it yet. Eight tenths of a mile through some of the oldest forest on the peninsula, hemlock and cedar that have been standing since before the country had a name, moss hanging in sheets from every available branch. By the time you reach the falls you are already in the right frame of mind. The river splits into three channels, sometimes four depending on the season, and drops into a slot canyon so narrow it almost feels engineered. The footbridge crosses directly over the drop. From there you are looking down into the throat of it - mist rising, basalt walls dark and wet, the water braiding and recombining as it falls. Come on an overcast morning. This is not negotiable for me. Direct sun turns the canyon into a mess of blown highlights and confused shadows, but a soft gray sky lets the green of the moss come up and the water hold detail through a long exposure. May and June for volume. October for the particular damp quiet that the Olympic rainforest does better than anywhere else I know. Arrive before nine. The bridge is small and the falls are popular enough that by mid-morning you will be sharing the rail. Alone on it, with a tripod and time, you can work the wide shot first and then move to the details - the moss on the railing posts, the way one of the channels curves against the rock before it falls. The detail shots are the ones I end up keeping.
Gallery
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