Over the past week, we’ve seen a ping-pong between summer sun and good old-fashioned Western Washington rain and gray.
While the heat might be returning, I’m always happy to see the gray.
I’ll take overcast and 65 over sunny and 95 any day. You can criticize that all you want — your words will just roll like Northwest raindrops off my mossback.
With that said, we still have a few more precious days of summer left. Let’s make the most of them, rain or shine.
A few months ago, I kicked off the season with a pair of columns about wonderful spots that I consider to be the hidden gems of the Lewis County area.
I received a great response from Robert Greenaway, an outdoorsman who lives on a small farm near Eatonville. He wanted to highlight Walupt Falls, a beautiful destination for those willing to take a drive and “wander off the beaten path.”
I’ll admit that I have not visited this particular spot. It sounds like a good one. I’ll quote Robert as he describes this gem and how to get there.
He writes:
Walupt Falls is out in eastern Lewis County in the Gifford National Forest. As the name infers, it is close to Walupt Lake which borders the Goat Rocks Wilderness Area. But it is a fairly short hike off an easily accessed forest service road used to drive in to Walupt Lake.
Google “Walupt Falls” to find images of this water fall. Actually, it’s more like a water slide than a true free fall type waterfall.
But the trick is the access by foot to the base of the falls. One needs to park near the horse corrals roughly a mile short of Walupt Lake. Then walk due north through second-growth timber until you run into Walupt Creek. It is easily waded in the summer (which you need to do). Then once you cross the creek, turn left and follow the creek until you hear the falls.
The final approach is a steep scramble down a dirt embankment that takes you to the mouth of Walupt Creek where it enters the Cispus River. The confluence is a rocky stream bed directly below Walupt Falls. There is plenty of space to have a trail lunch and find a warm, sunny rock to dry your soggy boot socks.
But the falls are beautiful. The creek basically has three cataracts as it flows to the final set of falls. If I recall the hiking guides correctly, Walupt Falls is between 75 and 100 feet tall (maybe a tad more). It is steep but is really more of a sliding waterfall that cascades down the face of a granite monolith. There are several small pools at the bottom then the creek spills into the Cispus River.
Trust me that it is truly a hidden treasure. As it doesn’t have signage or an official trail designation, it has limited activity. But it’s really worth the effort.
Keep in mind that the flats along Forest Service Road 24 (heads southwest from the Walupt access road) are excellent places to pick wild strawberries, blue huckleberries and in the fall … edible mushrooms.
Just remember to carefully navigate the final scramble down the dirt face to the falls. Plus, save some energy to climb back up ... but you’ll be glad you visited this hidden gem.
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Thank you, Robert, for this great writeup. If anyone visits Walupt Falls, let me know what you think of the trip!
Speaking of heading out to East Lewis County, where cell coverage is spotty at best, that brings to mind a quip from my 13-year-old son that will serve admirably as the Dad Joke of the Week.
Q: How did the smart phone escape from prison?
A: It had no bars.
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This week Brian Mittge is celebrating 23 years with the best wife a guy could ever hope for, the wonderful Sarah. Are you also enjoying an anniversary? Drop me a line to share the love at brianmittge@hotmail.com.
