UPPER BAR DIVIDE FALLS |
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RATING -
54.0
VR - 6.0 (Med) HR - 7.0 SR - 12/20 TYPE OF APPROACH - Trail + Bushwhack DIFFICULTY - Very Difficult LOCATION - Sholes Basin TYPE - Tiered HEIGHT - 257' WIDTH - 20' GPS - N48 49.489 W121 46.520 ELEVATION - 4953' |
The creek that harbors the three Bar Divide waterfalls is unnamed but drains a decent amount of water from the Sholes Glacier. After meandering through the silty ground left over by the retreating glacier, the creek encounters a basalt cliff and tumbles 257' in a series of four tiers. The first tier is 20' worth of sliding cascades. The creek then spreads out and drops 85' in a fan-shaped drop. The third tier plunges 61' and the final drop is a powerful 62' plunge, surrounded by some nice columns of bedrock. The area around the waterfall is almost completely void of vegetation, creating an lunar landscape around the falls that isn't at all unattractive. Most likely, this waterfall is almost always partially covered with snow. Only during extremely dry summers, like the summer of 2015, will the entire waterfall be snow-free. I wouldn't recommend making the trip into this area just to see this waterfall, but if you're already in the area to check out the glacier, it's worth the short side trip for the partial view.
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DIRECTIONS -
Follow the directions to Sholes Glacier
Falls. Scramble across the rocks to the west until you see the
creek draining from the Sholes Glacier. Follow the top of the ridge
down for a few hundred feet to views of the falls. It's possible to
get to the base, but requires a steep scramble down the 300' tall canyon
walls. NEARBY WATERFALLS - Bar Divide Falls, Sholes Glacier Falls, Upper Sholes Creek Falls |
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ADDITIONAL PICTURES (CLICK TO ENLARGE) AND
VIDEOUpper Bar Divide Falls |
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