Clark Creek Falls

There are multiple routes to the Wynoochee Lake area in Olympic National Forest. The most direct route is to take Highway 12 west from Olympia to Montesano, getting off at the Devonshire Road exit, then go straight at the intersection at the end of the off-ramp onto Wynoochee Valley Road, and follow Wynoochee Valley Road for 35.5 miles to where it officially becomes National Forest Road 2312 at the junction with National Forest Road 22; a sign at this point will mark the way to the Wynoochee Dam. An alternate route to this point is to take Highway 101 north from Hoquiam for 25 miles, then turn right onto Donkey Creek Road (Road 22), and continue another 14 miles to the aforementioned junction with Wynoochee Valley Road. From either direction, from the junction continue north on NFR-2312 towards Wynoochee Lake for another 9.6 miles, then turn left onto Road 2270, which crosses the Wynoochee River right away. Continue for less than one-quarter of a mile on Road 2270 to where it crosses Clark Creek, with the falls visible on the left.Clark Creek Falls is a surprisingly noteworthy waterfall which can be seen adjacent to a Forest Service road in the upper Wynoochee River drainage. The visible portion of the falls drop 49 feet in a narrow horsetail which veils outward slightly as it plunges into a small alcove which harbors a small pool. Topographic maps indicate that Clark Creek very likely harbors several more waterfalls further upstream as well. In the eighth of a mile above the road, the stream drops over 400 vertical feet, and it seems likely that at least part of that drop may be considered an upper tier of this waterfall. Further, lidar data indicates the creek is potentially heavily incised in the mountainside in a narrow gorge as it descends this 400 feet of the valley wall, so not only may there be considerably more waterfall above, but it could potentially be quite unique as well. Gaining access to the upper parts of the falls appears to be quite difficult however, as the terrain adjacent to the creek is quite steep and rather brushy. Clark Creek is not a terribly large stream, draining from a basin covering slightly less than one square mile. When the falls were surveyed in May of 2019, the flow of the stream was adequate but not significant. Photographs we’ve seen of the falls suggest that later in the year the volume present in the creek will be reduced greatly, perhaps to the point of just a trickle. From roughly November through late May however there will be enough water to allow the falls to appear significant.