BORNITE FALLS

VR - 3.6 (M/S)                       HR - 5                           SR - 14/20

TYPE OF APPROACH - Trail

DIFFICULTY - Medium

LOCATION - Darrington Area

TYPE - Slide

HEIGHT - 125'

WIDTH - 10'

GPS - N48 08.502' W121 39.313'

ELEVATION - 2065'

Bornite Falls is a nice waterfall located in a really cool area.  A branch of Copper Creek slides about 125 vertical feet down a sloped granite formation.  Late in the summer (like on our trip), the waterfall becomes less impressive.  I imagine at the height of snow melt, the entire rock face may be covered with water.  The creek crossing just before the falls would be a little tougher at higher volume, but should still be possible if you don't mind getting your feet wet.  Don't let the relatively low rating for the waterfall discourage you from visiting.  The hike in is definitely worth it just to visit such a beautiful area.

There are tremendous views of the mountains around the falls, as well as a nice variety of wildflowers in the immediate area.  In addition there are a lot of pieces of old mining equipment from the former Bornite Mine near the end of the trail.  We saw several lizards and snakes sunning themselves on the boulders near the base of the falls which the kids loved.  The actual length of this hike will depend on the clearance of your vehicle and how much you want to beat it up.  It was 2.5 miles from where we parked to the falls, but a truck could probably take another 1/2 a mile off that walk before you have to park.  This is a great hike for kids as there is very little elevation gain and a lot of cool stuff to look at once you get to the end of the hike.  There are a couple of spots where the trail becomes a little brushy, but it's nothing too horrid.

NEARBY WATERFALLS - Asbestos Falls, Bornite Falls

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