Upper Sholes Creek Falls

RATING - 56.0

VR - 6.0 (Med) HR - 6.0 SR - 20/20

TYPE OF APPROACH - Bushwhack

DIFFICULTY - Extremely Difficult

LOCATION - Wells Creek Road

TYPE - Plunge

HEIGHT - 134'

WIDTH - 25'

GPS - N48 49.905 W121 46.618

ELEVATION - 4292'

DIRECTIONS - No directions provided. Dangerous approach.

This waterfall was a thorn in my side for a decade. My first attempt put me right next to the falls with a very obscured view through the trees. Attempt number two gave me a mostly clear view of the waterfall from about a mile downstream. I even tried to take pictures from four miles away on Cougar Divide on a separate trip. Finally on my third attempt I found a view and it was worth all the wait.

Upper Sholes Creek Falls drops 134' in total, hitting the incredible undercut cliff about halfway down. The canyon is incredibly steep and dangerous. It's not even possible to reach the bottom of the canyon without a rope and rappelling gear. The cliff is probably the best example of columned bedrock I've found so far on Mt. Baker. Upper Sholes Creek Falls is one of the true treasures on Mt. Baker, and virtually no one has been there.