LAKE CREEK FALLS |
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RATING - 38.0
VR - 4 (MSm) HR - 6.0 SR - 14/20 TYPE OF APPROACH - Bushwhack DIFFICULTY - Medium LOCATION - Baker Lake Road TYPE - Tiered HEIGHT - 166' WIDTH - 5'
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DIRECTIONS - Drive to the end of Baker Lake Road and begin hiking up the
Baker River Trail. In around a mile and a half, you will cross Lake
Creek. It is by far the largest creek passed along the trail and can
be identified by the old fungus covered footbridge on the right side of the
trail. The falls are about 1/3 of a mile upstream from here and can be
reached fairly easily by following the creek up. At low volume this
can be done pretty easily by following dry portions of the creek bed.
At the end, a short but steep scramble up a pile of avalanche debris is
required to get a view of the entire falls. NEARBY WATERFALLS - Jagged Ridge Falls |
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ADDITIONAL PICTURES (CLICK TO ENLARGE) AND VIDEO
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Lake
Creek exits a narrow canyon via this gorgeous 130' tall waterfall. The
falls begin with a little 25' sliding drop that is difficult to see.
Below here it slides another 20' and then drops over the main portion, a
121' horsetail into a pretty pool of water. The area around the falls
was buried by a large rockslide sometime in the recent past. This
avalanche probably shortened the height of the falls by a good 20'. It
will be interesting to see how the waterfall changes as the area recovers.
In the meantime, the pile of avalanche debris makes for a fun final climb to
the falls and a nice viewing platform, complete with flowers. I
suspect that early in the year the falls are much more impressive, launching
water away from the cliff and kicking up a lot of spray.