Hyas Creek Falls

Hyas Creek Falls can be found about one-eighth of a mile due north of Peggy's Pond in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness on the east side of Mount Daniel. The most direct access to the area is to start at the Hyas Lake Trailhead at the end of the Cle Elum River Road, then hike the Cathedral Pass trail for 5.2 miles to Peggy's Pond. Trails braid all over the meadows around the lake, but none actually go down to where the falls are, so it's necessary to hike cross country through the huckleberry meadows to the rim of the canyon to where the falls are partially visible. Be very careful along the edges, as trees and thick coniferous bushes obscure the sheer drop offs.Hyas Creek is a moderate to low volume stream which drains from what's left of the Ice Worm Glacier on Mount Daniel in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, and descends to meet the Cle Elum River near the inlet of Hyas Lake. Along its length the creek drops over three noteworthy waterfalls, the first and uppermost of the trio being the most significant. Here, the creek plunges off an alpine plateau after meandering through meadows, skipping 151 feet into a canyon carved into bright orange bedrock before tumbling further down among talus and large boulders. Unfortunately there does not appear to be any good unobstructed views of the falls - trees line the rim of the canyon on both sides of the creek, and the falls are incised deeply enough into the formation that it's obstructed in some way from just about every angle that could be found. With ropes it may be possible to scramble part way down into the canyon for a clear view. The Ice Worm Glacier which sources Hyas Creek has receeded substantially in the last 50 years, and is functionally all but extinct at this point. A modest patch of stagnant snow does appear to still linger in the basin all year, but the ice is no longer moving. The basin which the creek drains only covers about one-half of a square mile, so without the glacial ice to feed the creek, it will quickly be reduced in volume once the winter snowpack melts off. When we surveyed the falls at the end of September 2016, the creek was running so low in volume that it almost seemed a waste of time to scramble down to view the falls.