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2021 as a very slow year from me waterfall-wise. Disc golf tournaments and coaching volleyball took up a lot of my time, but I still managed to squeak out 21 new waterfalls, including some really nice ones. If you would like to see the Top 7 Lists from previous years, click the links below. Otherwise, continue on to this year's list!
Top 7 New Waterfalls of 2020 Top 7 New Waterfalls of 2019 Top 7 New Waterfalls of 2018 Top 7 New Waterfalls of 2017 Top 7 New Waterfalls of 2016
Top 7 New Waterfalls of 2015 Top 7 New Waterfalls of 2014 Top 7 New Waterfalls of 2013 Top 7 New Waterfalls of 2012
HONORABLE MENTION
HONORABLE MENTION
Best Spoon Creek Impression - Segelsen Creek Falls
Best Spoon Creek Impression - Segelsen Creek Falls
I had lousy lighting on my trip into Segelsen Creek and had to do some of the sketchiest scrambling I've ever done to get to this equally sketchy viewpoint, but the major falls on Segelsen Creek is a beauty, dropping a total of 53' in two drops. The entire thing is remarkably similar to a shorter, wider version of Spoon Creek Falls on the Peninsula.
HONORABLE MENTION
HONORABLE MENTION
Biggest Whoopsie - Quartz Creek Falls
Biggest Whoopsie - Quartz Creek Falls
See how there's no picture up there? Yeah, that's because there was a crazy amount of mist and spray and the only pictures I had were on my cell phone . . . and then I deleted them before I uploaded them. Whoopsie! It's a nice waterfall though; I'll have to go back sometime.
#7 - Buck Creek Falls
Buck Creek has a series of super pretty waterfalls along a short, but very steep stretch of creek. The uppermost falls is the best of the bunch, dropping 66' in a double drop into a stunning pool of crystal-clear water. Add in the middle (below) and lower falls (right), and this is one of the prettiest trios of waterfalls I've ever seen.
#6 - Lower Basaltic Falls
This creek on the east side of Mt. Rainier has a series of great waterfalls on its way to join the Muddy Fork of the Cowlitz. The lowest of these waterfalls is beautiful, plunging right around 100' in a sheer drop surrounded by dense evergreens. It's not even remotely easy to get to, but it sure is pretty.
#5 - Lower East Basaltic Falls
Located about 300' away from #6 is this tremendous waterfall. The stream is much smaller than the main creek, but the waterfall is much taller, tumbling a total of 300' in a long, sliding horsetail. Even more amazing than the waterfall is the cliff it drops over, an incredible display of columned basalt, including a unique "Eye of the Cowlitz" on the right side of the bottom tier.
#4 - Lower Blum Creek Falls
Blum Creek is along the east side of the Baker River and contains around a dozen waterfalls along its course. I explored most of the lower section of the creek this year and was able to document four of these. Lower Blum Creek Falls is not the lowest falls on the creek, there are two more downstream, but it is the lowest of the three major falls. The large volume "creek" explodes 68' into a pool surrounded by cliffs. The water is a gorgeous blue color and thick moss surrounds the scene on all sides, thanks to the immense amount of spray the falls kick up. While the waterfalls upstream are taller, it's pretty tough to beat this one.
#3 - Quartz Valley Falls
This waterfall looks a little meh on Google Earth. A small creek tumbles hundreds of feet down the mountainside in a series of drops before joining Quartz Creek. Blah, blah, blah. Up close and personal, this thing is anything but meh. It certainly helps that we visited when the creek was running about as high as it will ever run, but Quartz Valley Falls is incredible either way. The falls stand 142' in height, a sliding upper tier that spreads out to over 50' wide as it crashes down the final 69' drop. Add in a long series of cool drops above, and this makes for a fantastic place to visit (although I recommended NOT doing it on a rainy 40-degree day.
#2 - Middle Blum Creek Falls
This one is a little tricky because it's so hard to see, but anytime you have a creek this large dropping 300' in height, it's going to rate highly. I suspect that when the volume is lower, it is possible to see almost the entire drop from the opposite side of the creek. On the day I visited, the creek was running way too high to cross (especially with another waterfall just downstream). The video below gives you an over-the-top look, as well as a view from the bottom. I hope to return sometime next summer to see this giant in all its glory!
#1 - Middle Basaltic Falls
It's not the biggest new waterfall I found this year. It's not the prettiest (although it's pretty dang close). It's not the most powerful. But the middle falls of the Basaltic Group is the best all-around waterfall I found in 2021. Surrounded by massive cliffs and evergreen forests, this beautiful waterfall plunges 124' via a twin drop into a deep desolate canyon on the east side of Rainier. The incredible pillar on the top right side of the falls adds a great look to the scene. The fact that two other waterfalls on this year's Top 7 list are right next door (or below), makes this one of the coolest locations I've visited in a long time.
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