Falls Creek Falls

Wow!!! Amazing falls. Bring a trail map, because as you head out it starts to split here and there and I started to get a little lost.
Note: the upper falls are really small. Don’t keep walking beyond them to see something cool. Trust me, there’s not much else to see after you reach them. The lower falls, however, are spectacular.

what a gorgeous trail. you hike along a cascading river for about 4 miles and then reach a beautiful waterfall. It’s also dog and kid friendly. The uphill wasn’t too strenuous. even my out of shape butt was able to keep up with my husband who is in much better shape than I. You have the option to continue upward, but we chose to turn around because it gets much steeper after the waterfall.

The trail is clean and well-​marked. There is an outhouse at the trailhead with plenty of parking. To get to the trailhead you’ll have to take a dirtroad for a few miles so be prepared for that.

Wow!
Now, I only started my review like that because two of the three previous reviews started with the same word, and I don’t think I can improve on it. This hike has one of the biggest wow moments I’ve yet experienced here in the Pacific Northwest. And considering it’s actually a quite easy hike, there’s simply no good reason that you haven’t done it yet.
Don’t bother with the upper falls hike. The view from the lower falls is actually much better. I don’t want to give too much away, but the final turn of this hike will leave your jaw on the floor. An early afternoon arrival will guarantee you the best photo-​op in the gorge. Bring a camera and bring a friend to take all the amateur modeling shots your beautiful heart might desire. Trust me, you’re gonna look good. It’s also a nice place to plan a picnic lunch or do whatever else you crazy kids might want to do in the woods.
The inclines are pretty mild, there are some cliffs that shouldn’t be a problem if you have basic motor skills, and there are plenty of streams and smaller falls to keep you entertained along the way to the grand finale.
One note: if you go during the off season, you’ll have to park pretty far from the trailhead. How far? Your walk to the trailhead will be longer than the actual hike itself. It’s still not bad, and it’s still totally worth it. But I can only imagine that it’s even better during the summer. When you aren’t walking almost 2 miles each way to simply get to the trail.

Wow! A lovely jaunt from our base at the Bonneville Hot Springs Resort, and an easy climb to one of the most beautiful sights to be seen. Pass the Carson Fish Hatchery, take the right to stay on River Wind Road, and the look on the right for the Falls Creek trail 152 sign. The gravel road will take you to the circular parking lot, and the trail is well marked after that. Don’t get fooled — you’ll come upon a smaller, but still impressive waterfall, and may think that’s the end. Walk another 10 minutes and you’ll be well rewarded for your efforts! A sight to behold, with an excellent flat rock area, perfect for a picnic.

Who would’ve known the good folks of Carson, Washington were roosting almost right below one of the Northwest’s most beautiful waterfalls? Maybe they know, thus explaining the rampant «No Trespassing» signs scattered about the rural community.
If it was at once a sacred secret, that status has long been lost to the «ooh“ing and «ahh“ing of local city folk that make the one and a half hour trek from Portland out to the Bridge of the Gods, and beyond. The drive is a snap, so long as you have some good music to keep you company and a keen eye for dodging suicidal chipmunks. I have to give Skamania County props for having forest service roads fairly well maintained and even more beautifully sign-​posted. A good sign is sometimes hard to find, especially in a situation where you really could use one…
Once out of the car, the 1.7 mile rock-​and-​dirt trek to the waterfalls is just about perfect. Hemlocks, Spruces, and Cedars commandeer the 2^nd growth and old growth forest, while various ferns, berry bushes, wild grasses, and mosses keep good company to the royal trees. About a quarter mile into the hike, the immensely powerful sound of the river begins to soar into the ear canals. There are fallen trees strewn across the fairly mellow river and the dampened red earth all the way along the hike. Many old growth wonders arise, including gigantic geriatric fallen conifers, exposing impressive root systems; massive rock walls with moss so abundant and bright green, it nearly appears ectoplasmic; and a plethora of flora that ranges from tropical to vines to striking flowers.
A small rocky pond has to be crossed along the trail to reach the destination: two majestic waterfalls, funneling endless roaring white bubbling streams of water over their ledges and into the river a couple hundred feet below. There are many damp boulders for humans, of all ages and from all regions, to lean upon and ponder the wonders of this forested kingdom.
I can see why the Bridge of the Gods would be named as much, because this would be the sort of place where holiness and grandiose beauty reside in an enchanted mossy kingdom.