Panther Creek Falls
Sep. 10th, 2022 09:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
canyonwalkerPacific Northwest September Travelog #13
Carson, WA - Mon, 5 Sep 2022, 10:30am
It's the last day of our three-day trip to southern Washington but that doesn't mean we're packing up the proverbial tent early. There's still more to do, and plenty of daylight to do it, before we have to head to the airport this afternoon for our flight home. This morning, like Saturday morning, we drove out to Carson, about 60 miles east of Vancouver, WA— though unlike Saturday morning we took a scenic driving detour along I-84 and The Bridge of the Gods— then up the Wind River and to one of its tributaries, Panther Creek.
Panther Creek Falls was originally on our epic, 5 waterfall itinerary for Saturday. It fell off the bottom of the list after we called audibles in the afternoon and visited other waterfalls instead. We actually drove right past the trailhead toward the end of our driving loop... but alas we passed the trailhead around 8pm, when it was already full dark. I said that it went on back on our list to visit later.... I just wasn't certain at the time that "later" would come this soon!
The trail to Panther Creek Falls is not terribly well marked. We happen to know where it is, though, from searching for it during our one previous visit 5 years ago. ...No, it's not that tiny wooden sign we remember, or the spray painted arrow on the narrow road— both are new from 5 years ago, BTW— but a cliff of columnar basalt 50m up the road where there's a pulloff to park. Even last night after dark we were like, "Hey, this is the area where we found Panther Falls!"
For all the finding the trail is hard, finding the falls is really not. The trail leads straight down to it.
...Well, it leads straight down to a viewing point. Last time we were here I walked around the fenced area to the edge of the cliff and got a great view of the falls. Since then the fence has been rebuilt so it's not as easy to get around. Though also now there's a spur trail to a viewpoint at the bottom of the falls, so I didin't feel the need to climb the fence. We retraced our steps back up the hill then followed the spur around and back down to the bottom.
Panther Falls is amazing because it's a falls where the water splits 3 ways just before the cliff then falls down 3 chutes about 100' (30m) high.
Oh, and even in September, there's plenty of water here. I believe that's because Panther Creek has its head waters on the southern flank of Mt. Adams, which rises to more than 13,000'.
The trail to the bottom of the falls also provides a bit of a view of Lower Panther Falls. This drop isn't as amazing as the main falls, being only 30' high and a single chute of water. But, oh what riches I enjoy when I can look at a falls like this and think, "Meh". In beauty I walk.
Carson, WA - Mon, 5 Sep 2022, 10:30am
It's the last day of our three-day trip to southern Washington but that doesn't mean we're packing up the proverbial tent early. There's still more to do, and plenty of daylight to do it, before we have to head to the airport this afternoon for our flight home. This morning, like Saturday morning, we drove out to Carson, about 60 miles east of Vancouver, WA— though unlike Saturday morning we took a scenic driving detour along I-84 and The Bridge of the Gods— then up the Wind River and to one of its tributaries, Panther Creek.
Panther Creek Falls was originally on our epic, 5 waterfall itinerary for Saturday. It fell off the bottom of the list after we called audibles in the afternoon and visited other waterfalls instead. We actually drove right past the trailhead toward the end of our driving loop... but alas we passed the trailhead around 8pm, when it was already full dark. I said that it went on back on our list to visit later.... I just wasn't certain at the time that "later" would come this soon!
The trail to Panther Creek Falls is not terribly well marked. We happen to know where it is, though, from searching for it during our one previous visit 5 years ago. ...No, it's not that tiny wooden sign we remember, or the spray painted arrow on the narrow road— both are new from 5 years ago, BTW— but a cliff of columnar basalt 50m up the road where there's a pulloff to park. Even last night after dark we were like, "Hey, this is the area where we found Panther Falls!"
For all the finding the trail is hard, finding the falls is really not. The trail leads straight down to it.
...Well, it leads straight down to a viewing point. Last time we were here I walked around the fenced area to the edge of the cliff and got a great view of the falls. Since then the fence has been rebuilt so it's not as easy to get around. Though also now there's a spur trail to a viewpoint at the bottom of the falls, so I didin't feel the need to climb the fence. We retraced our steps back up the hill then followed the spur around and back down to the bottom.
Panther Falls is amazing because it's a falls where the water splits 3 ways just before the cliff then falls down 3 chutes about 100' (30m) high.
Oh, and even in September, there's plenty of water here. I believe that's because Panther Creek has its head waters on the southern flank of Mt. Adams, which rises to more than 13,000'.
The trail to the bottom of the falls also provides a bit of a view of Lower Panther Falls. This drop isn't as amazing as the main falls, being only 30' high and a single chute of water. But, oh what riches I enjoy when I can look at a falls like this and think, "Meh". In beauty I walk.
