We did this trail system in February, where there was still some snow on the ground. The access to the park did have some mountain climb, so I would beware of trying to get here after a heavy snow fall in the winter without them clearing the road.
The park is fairly remote, with not a lot of cell coverage, so keep that in mind. We focused on just going to the falls, however there were many trails we did not even get to yet.
From the parking area, we had to take the Turkey Ridge Trail to connect us to the Little Mountain Trail.
You could just take the left branch once you get onto LMT and go directly to the falls, it is shorted miles that way. We went right and upwards to circle around. On All Trails other folks recommended that pathway, but obviously it is longer than if you just went to the falls and back. A warning, some of these are horse trails, so you will need to be aware of the bombs in the trail at time. 🙂
The hike is not overly difficult, but it is a steady climb. It was very sunny on our way up from that direction, and after the summit, the lack of sun made the snow still present on the trail and the way chilly. So keep that in mind. There are a few benches, but not a lot of you are planning on coming with older hikers.
At the Summit, there is a place to sit and rest, keeping in mind it can be busy. I took some video, but it did not do justice to seeing it live: Sorry for the wind noise!
The rest of the way had at least four water crossings, so keep that in mind. I imagine in the wet season you will get wet!
The stream at times made continuous water slides as we walked along the trail. At first I was disappointed, because I thought that was it, but then I realized that we were coming DOWN to it on our right, so you have to go all the way down to then face it and look upwards:
We were extremely lucky when we got there, as there was no one to bother us. We had time to take off our packs, take out our food and snack while we enjoyed the ambiance. I know it seems dramatic to say, but it was magical. I 100% recommend this fall, because if you time it correctly, it will feel like you are alone with this beauty and not have to share it with crowds. But, to be fair, I bet in the summer time it is hoping.
Overall, it took us about 3 1/2 hours to do the hiking, keeping in mind we stopped to eat at the falls. I imagine those really fit folks could do it faster. The elevation gain was 722 feet, so not too bad overall and you do that mostly at the beginning. Overall, the hike was 5.20 miles long.
Bea's Hive 