Middle Swamp Creek Falls

Middle Swamp Creek Falls is a surprisingly hidden waterfall found near the popular Yellow Aster Butte trailhead north of Mount Baker. The falls are found at a prominent step in the valley about one third of a mile east of the parking area for the popular hike, but cannot be seen from the road at all due to thick surrounding forest and brush. When surveyed in August of 2018 the falls were measured to drop 102 feet in two distinct sections; a sliding cascade style fall with a drop of about 74 feet, followed by a more jumbled series of cascades which are partially obscured and covered by boulders and logs which have gathered at the bottom of the falls. Topographic data generated from high resolution lidar data however indicates there are likely additional tiers to the falls upstream, and that the total drop may be closer to 155 feet in all. Swamp Creek originates in both a small glacier nestled between the twin summits of Goat Mountain to the southeast, and in Twin Lakes to the northeast. The basin covers an area of about 1.8 square miles, but the heavy winter snowfall the North Cascades receives coupled with the glacier on Goat Mountain ensures the stream sustains a modest flow all year long, with peak flow occurring between late June and the beginning of August while the higher elevation snow melts out.