Sulphide Creek Falls is a tall, moderately large volume waterfall within
North Cascades National Park
North Cascades National Park is an American national park in the state of Washington. At more than , it is the largest of the three National Park Service units that comprise the North Cascades National Park Complex. North Cascades National Par ...
in
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
state. The falls drop from
Sulphide Lake (elevation ) on the southeast side of
Mount Shuksan
Mount Shuksan is a glaciated massif in the North Cascades National Park. Shuksan rises in Whatcom County, Washington immediately to the east of Mount Baker, and south of the Canada–US border. The mountain's name ''Shuksan'' is derived from th ...
down a narrow flume-like canyon to a broad basin below. Because of the narrow, twisting shape of the canyon the waterfall is exceptionally difficult to see from ground-level perspectives. The total vertical drop of the waterfall is in the range of to feet, but it has not yet been accurately measured. Foot access to the bottom of the waterfall involves of off-trail travel in extremely brushy terrain and several potentially dangerous fords of a large stream.
Other waterfalls
Another waterfall, which is on the opposite side of the valley and joins Sulphide Creek Falls at its base, should not be confused with Sulphide Creek Falls. This falls is much more visible, but only about one-half as high as Sulphide Creek Falls. This falls is sometimes referred to as ''Sulphide Valley Falls''.
Above Sulphide Lake is a further of cascades, informally referred to as ''Sulphide Basin Falls'', flowing from the
Sulphide and
Crystal Glaciers, which provide most of the water that flows over Sulphide Creek Falls. This drop is geographically separate from Sulphide Creek Falls, and should not be confused with it, despite their close proximity and location on the same feeder stream.
Access
There is no trail to Sulphide Creek Falls. The closest trail is the
Baker River Trail, which parallels the
Baker River (which Sulphide Creek flows into). The trail crosses Sulphide Creek at the confluence. From there, one must proceed upstream along the wide, rocky streambed, which continues to within about of the base of the falls. Thick
avalanche
An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a slope, such as a hill or mountain.
Avalanches can be set off spontaneously, by such factors as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, animals, and earth ...
brush prevents further access.
References
External links
Sulphide Creek Falls photo gallery at pbase.com
North Cascades of Washington (state)
Waterfalls of Washington (state)
Waterfalls of Whatcom County, Washington
North Cascades National Park
Tiered waterfalls
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