Thompson Creek Falls
RATING - 34.0
VR - 4.0 (Med) HR - 4.0 SR - 18/20
TYPE OF APPROACH - Bushwhack
DIFFICULTY - Very Difficult
LOCATION - Glacier Creek Road
TYPE - Plunge
HEIGHT - 65'
WIDTH - 10'
DIRECTIONS - Take the Mt Baker Highway east to Glacier and turn right onto Glacier Creek Road. In about a mile turn left onto Thompson Creek Road and follow it for a few miles. Park at a large pullout on the left side of the road. Walk up the road for 1/3 of a mile to a trail on the right (it's easy to miss so pay attention). Follow this mountain biking trail for another 1/3 of a mile to an overgrown road on the right. Follow this to its end. From there you can hear the creek. Begin climbing upstream for about 1/4 of a mile to the falls. The going is easy atop the ridge but it's very difficult to get down to the creek.
The main waterfall on Thompson Creek is a beauty. It occurs where the creek plunges about 65' into a very narrow canyon. From there it hangs a 90 degree left hand turn and runs through the canyon. I found two views of the falls:
1) From atop a 60' tall cliff facing the falls. From here you can only see the top of the falls (see additional pictures below) and it's a very sketchy view.
2) Looking up the canyon as seen on the left. To get this view requires wading upstream and climbing over a small cascading waterfall downstream. When the volume is lower this might not be horribly difficult, but when the creek is running high it's pretty tough (not to mention cold).
While getting to this waterfall is really difficult, it is one of the prettier waterfalls in the Baker area. Be sure to take a GPS with you if you choose to visit this waterfall. The canyon is super steep and rugged and the falls are difficult to find. If you make it this far, you might as well continue upstream to the upper falls.