Huckleberry Falls

Huckleberry Falls is a seldom noticed, low-volume-but-still-significant waterfall which would likely be a moderately popular attraction were it not so severely obstructed from view or easy access on foot. Based on one-meter resolution lidar data, the falls are one of the tallest in the lower Suiattle River drainage, dropping approximately 530 feet in at least six distinct tiers. The four major tiers fall about 40, 80, 45, and 240 feet respectively, over a linear run of about 700 feet of stream. The remaining 125 feet of height occurs in smaller drops and cascades between the various major tiers. The upper three tiers are almost entirely obstructed by the surrounding forest, and even when glimpses of the falls could be had from the Suiattle River Road, only a small fraction of one of them could be seen. The 240-foot final tier of the falls had been visible from the Suiattle River Road in the past - floods in 2000 blew the creek out and allowed the falls to be viewed entirely unobstructed from the road, however since then the streambed has been choked with Alder thickets and the falls are entirely obstructed from view once again (until the next big flood at least). The stream producing Huckleberry Falls is quite small, draining a sliver of Suiattle Mountain which covers approximately 0.6 square miles in area. The falls flow with a healthy volume during the winter and early spring months, but because the slopes on the mountainside are steep, and the drainage is quite limited in size, the stream runs off quickly and becomes all but a trickle by the Summer, and it may dry out entirely by September (especially in dry years). Should the falls become easily visible once again, the best time to visit would be any time between November and March. However, as viewing the falls currently requires an arduous bushwhack, we would not recommend attempting to visit the falls until floods makes it more apparent from the road.