Iron Creek Falls

Iron Creek is a small-ish tributary to Illabot Creek in a part of the North Cascades that doesn't see much visitation for many reasons; impressive waterfalls however is not one of them. Situated just a quarter mile upstream from the Illabot Creek Road, one of the forks of Iron Creek veils down a dramatic 365-foot tall waterfall in two lofty leaps, framed by a hillside covered head to toe in Vine Maple trees which will set the whole mountain ablaze in color during the fall foliage season. The two visible sections of the falls drop 173 feet and 192 feet respectively. The upper tier is only partially visible and only while standing near the base of the falls due to the thick surrounding forest. Topographic maps and satellite imagery suggest that the falls may extend further up the side of the mountain as well, possibly topping out at over 600 feet in height, but accessing the upper portions of the falls appears to be prohibitively difficult (but not necessarily impossible). Iron Creek drains from the north side of Illabot Peaks, and while the stream where it crosses the road is a pretty respectable size, the branch which produces Iron Creek Falls accounts for less than half of the volume. The basin which feeds this branch is at a slightly lower elevation and will melt out sooner than the east fork, so the volume of water in Iron Creek at the road may not necessarily be a fair measure of how well the falls are flowing. Bu the late summer months expect the volume of water in the falls to be just a trickle. Fortunately the falls can be partially seen from the road, so its easy to gauge whether its worth making the trek to its base or not.