Depot Creek Falls

The main waterfall of Depot Creek is one of the true juggernaut waterfalls in North America and by some standards might be one of the 100 best waterfalls on the planet. Depot Creek heads in three large glaciers on the north face of Mount Redoubt - itself one of the tallest mountains in Washington. The melt from the glaciers converge into what can resemble a modest river under hot enough conditions and hurtles, skips, slides and veils 948 feet over a huge glacially carved headwall in the valley. Puritanically thinking, Depot Creek might not be considered a noteworthy waterfall because most of the waterfall skips and slides down the rock, rather than falling vertically, but seeing this waterfall in person would easily dispel any such arguments. The falls begin by plunging 248 feet off the lip of the valley into a narrow shaded crevice. Immediately upon exiting the confines of the crack in the bedrock, the stream turns 70 degrees to the left and begins a long, steep horsetailing slide for a further 626 vertical feet, followed then by a final plunging drop of 72 feet. This all occurs over a run of about 1600 feet in length, but despite the great distance involved in the drop, the falls are quite a bit steeper - averaging a 70 degree pitch in most areas - than the overall profile may otherwise suggest. At many points during the drop, the creek impacts the bedrock at such angles that huge roostertails can be seen exploding into the air, accompanied by clouds of mist as the water pounds its way down the mountainside. Unfortunately due to the twisting shape of the falls, there is no way to see the entire waterfall from the ground, though each section can be approached individually. Furthering the somewhat restricted views, because the falls slide down the mountainside at a less than vertical angle, much of the falls are obscured by foreshortening when viewed up close.Depot Creek was named for the presence of an old trading outpost near its mouth. The falls, to the best of my knowledge, have never been named, even unofficially. I really feel that Depot Creek Falls is too bland of a name for such a grand waterfall, and I would like to apply a more fitting title, so don't be surprised if one day, the name has changed.