Lower Yozoo Creek Falls

From Randle, turn south on SR 131, which is signed for Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument and Trout Lake, then bear left onto Forest Road 23, following signs pointing to Trout Lake. Continue east on Road 23 for another 11-1/2 miles, then turn left onto Forest Road 22. Continue on Road 22 for 6 miles to the end of the pavement at a junction, then keep straight for another 2-1/4 miles to Yozoo Creek. The falls are visible from the road.Yozoo Creek is a small tributary to the North Fork Cispus River known to harbor at least two small waterfalls. The lower falls of the two is found near the stream's confluence with the river, immediately above Forest Road 2208. The falls consist of two distinct tiers, each a cascading horsetail type fall, with individual drops of 38 and 25 feet respectively. The upper tier is about half obstructed when viewed from the road. A third tier appears to occur a short distance further upstream as well, but we have thus far not been able to survey it properly. Following a recent flood, the appearance of the falls has notably changed. The crest of the lower tier of the falls has been widened to about twice its previous breadth, and a chunk of the cliff face which previously directed the falling water back towards the center of the cliff has cleaved away, and the height of the falls may have increased by as much as 5 feet thanks to scouring of the streambed below the falls. Several trees between the two tiers of the falls seem to have washed out as well, allowing the upper tier to become more visible. The flood also appears to have blown out the road, which had been recently repaired when the falls were re-surveyed in May of 2018. The back-filled rock for the roadbed has partially filled in the former pool at the base of the falls, but the overall appearance of the falls doesn't seem to have changed due to the road work. Yozoo Creek is a fairly small stream, draining a basin of just over one square mile in size. The upper end of the drainage runs up to elevations of around 5600 feet, and a small marsh is found in in the heart of the basin nestled in the mountainside. These two factors will allow a more regulated flow of water to occur as the season progresses, however the small area of the drainage will still preclude a significant drop off in volume as the season progresses. Strong flow can be observed through the beginning of summer, but by August the creek is typically just a fraction of its spring time size.