Name of Waterfall

Ogilvie Falls

Description

Ogilvie Falls is a surprisingly significant waterfall along Fisher Creek, hidden far off the beaten path along the fringes of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness near Stevens Pass. The falls consist of four distinct tiers in quick succession. The first two drops cascade 11 feet each in more or less immediate back-to-back style. The third tier is the largest, a vertical drop of 57 feet where the creek splits into as many as three distinct channels, each veiling outwards in a very striking shape. At peak flow these three sections of the falls will likely all bleed together and turn into one single broad fall which may stretch to as much as 50-60 feet in width. The final tier is another cascading fall of of 12 feet immediately below the big drop. The two upper tiers are difficult to see from where the two lower tiers are most clearly visible, so the falls don't look quite as tall as they actually are in the attached photograph. The measurements we took of this waterfall also don't quite seem like they could be 100% accurate given the proportionality of the lower two tiers to each other, so a further survey may have to be conducted to confirm the accuracy of our figures.
The Fisher Creek basin covers an area of about 4.5 square miles, all of it at or above 3400 feet in elevation, and harbors five major lakes. As it is situated near the Cascade Crest the basin will receive a significant amount of snow in the winter months which will ensure the creek flows with considerable volume for quite some time. The road used to access the falls may not be snow free until early June in some years (possibly later in heavy snow years), but the creek should retain good flow well into July, and then pick up again by early October.Near the falls, along the Deception Creek Trail is a sign commemorating and memorializing Faye Ogilvie, a long time member of the Alpine Lakes Protection Society, Washington Environmental Council, and The Mountaineers, who spent 40 years working to help establish and protect the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. It seemed only fitting to name the falls in her honor in following.

Other Names

[]

Magnitude

28.65

IWC Rating (International Waterfall Classification)

1.32

Total Height (ft)

91

Tallest Drop

57

Number of Drops

4

Average Width

25

Maximum Width

45

Average High Volume (Cubic ft per second)

25 cfs

Average Low Volume (Cubic ft per second)

0 cfs

Pitch

70 degrees

Run (ft)

180

Watershed or Feeder Stream

Snohomish River Fisher Creek