Dewey Creek Falls

Dewey Creek is a nondescript stream which drains from a small basin immediately south of Chinook Pass and empties into Chinook Creek as its first major tributary. Above where Highway 123 crosses the creek as it winds south from Cayuse Pass the stream appears to be a fairly tame subalpine creek with no significant features, but those with a keen eye may notice a substantial waterfall visible amid the trees from the right spot along the road. For years we had written this off as a patch of snow, because it only seemed to appear while there was still snow on the ground in the area. Turns out it's just a fraction of a very significant waterfall along Dewey Creek which is not at all difficult to access. The falls are a nearly 1,000-foot long run of cascades which drops a total of 320 feet, split into two distinct sections. The upper part of the falls is a long, smooth sliding cascade dropping 138 feet, with two nearly vertical 11-foot plunges found just below. The falls then transition to a long and gradual smooth waterslide which drops another 25 feet. As the waterslide ends the second major part of the falls begins, this time as a much steeper, much wider cascade of 98 feet, followed by a nearly vertical drop of 37 feet to finish off. Only about half of the uppermost section of the falls can be seen from the road, and at a distance of about a mile away it doesn't look very substantial, but up close the falls are remarkably impressive. Dewey Creek is not fed by any permanent snow or ice, nor any standing bodies of water, so when the winter snow pack has melted off the volume of water present in the stream will drop substantially. Though the creek doesn't appear capable of running completely dry, the amount of water running down the falls in the late summer and autumn months will likely be so little that the effort required to reach the falls would not prove worth the visit, so plan on seeking this one out in late June or early July for best results.