Boston Creek Falls

Driving east along US 20, enter the town of Marblemount. At a bend in the highway (in the middle of town), keep straight across the bridge spanning the Skagit River, when Highway 20 makes a sharp left. This is the Cascade River Road, which ends in 23 miles, at the Cascade Pass trailhead. Proceed for about 21 3/4 miles from US 20, about 4 miles from the boundary of North Cascades National Park, to Boston Creek (the first major stream past the Cascade River bridge). The lower 60 feet of the falls are plainly in view at this point. Walk or drive another 200 yards up the road, to Midas Creek, to see the upper portion of the falls behind you, up the mountainside).First impressions of the North Fork Cascade River basin are hard to beat. Undoubtedly, your will be in awe of the monstrous walls of the surrounding mountains, but if you take your time in the area, you will find yourself in the presence of a handful of immensely tall waterfalls. Virtually every stream coming off of the glaciers on Sahale, Eldorado, Forbidden, Torment, Johannesburg and Cascade Peaks curtains, skips and slides hundreds of feet into the basin in outstanding waterfalls. There are no less than 6 waterfalls over 1000 feet tall within the last 5 miles of the Cascade River Road. As the road enters the basin at the foot of Mt. Johannesburg and Sahale Peak, Boston Creek is the second stream crossed after the bridge over the North Fork Cascade River. From the roads crossing of the creek, the falls appear to be just cascade of about 60 feet. But if you continue up the road for another 200 feet or so (to Midas Creek), and look back uphill, you will be greeted with a portion of the 500 foot veil of a segment of the upper falls (seen here). Unfortunately, there doesn't appear to be any easy way to see more of the falls. Bushwhacking upstream is a futile endeavor, the brush is just too thick to penetrate without a chainsaw and more patience than any human possesses. When the creek is running low, it may be possible to climb up the falls, but that is a complete hypothetical.