Lower Cripple Creek Falls

Located in the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River drainage, northeast of North Bend. From North Bend, follow Interstate 90 east to Exit 34 (Edgewick Road), and turn left. Proceed for about 1/4 mile to Middle Fork Road and turn right. Proceed just over 12 miles to the Taylor River bridge. Shortly after, the Middle Fork road proper makes a hard right, while the main road goes on straight. Take this right, and proceed another 5 3/4 miles to the Dingford Creek trailhead at the end of the road. Take the trail on the right (south) side of the road, leading downhill to the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River. In 1/4 mile, the trail intersects the Middle Fork Trail. Follow the signs pointing right (west) towards Cripple Creek. In another 1.15 miles, you'll cross Cripple Creek below Lower Cripple Creek Falls.This is a modest waterfall found along Cripple Creek where the Middle Fork Trail crosses paths with the stream. The falls drop down a narrow sluice on one side of a what appears to be a massive boulder (but is really just a rounded extrusion of bedrock), falling a total of about 45 feet in three drops. Brush next to the bridge and falls obscures it partially but the lowest tier can be seen clearly. Cripple Creek can vary significantly in volume, giving this waterfall two distinctive characters depending on the season. The falls aren't terribly impressive even during the melt season, so I suggest waterfall hunters in the area seek out either Tin Cup Joe Falls upstream, or Rock Creek Falls a few miles to the east.