Old Government Falls

There are two options to reach Old Government Falls. First, take the Mountain Loop Highway to Barlow Pass - xx miles from Granite Falls or xx miles from Darrington, and park. The Old Government Trail starts on the north side of the road and heads west, below the Barlow Point trail and along the old railroad grade, reaching the falls in about 1.6 miles. The second and significantly shorter option is to continue west along the Mountain Loop Highway from Barlow Pass for about 1.6 miles, and watch very carefully for a somewhat overgrown road heading into the woods on the right (uphill) side of the road. If you pass the junction with the Sunrise Mine Road, you've gone about one-fifth of a mile too far. Space for parking is somewhat limited along this part of the highway, so be sure to pull off onto the gravel adequately. When you've located the road, follow it into the woods to a large informal campsite, then head straight towards the hill where (hopefully) two pieces of wood can be seen nailed to a tree marking the Old Government Trail. The somewhat overgrown trail climbs a single switchback and reaches the base of the falls in another 500 feet.Old Government Falls is a minor but somewhat scenic cascading type waterfall found at the bottom of a gully draining the south side of the ridge extending south from Twin Peaks, just north of Barlow Pass along the Mountain Loop Highway. The falls consist of two distinct drops totaling 83 feet in height, each tier accounting for approximately half the height of the falls. The lower angle of the falls and the huge cliff on the left side of the falls prevent views more than just a sliver of the upper tier of the falls, so it appears to be a much smaller waterfall than it is at first glance. Because of the small drainage area the falls will exhibit a seasonal behavior, flowing best during peak snow melt season between early May and July, and usually running entirely dry by the end of August.This waterfall has no official name, so we've referred to it after the Old Government Trail, which crosses the creek at the base of the falls. The trail follows sections of the old Everett & Monte Cristo Railroad grade, as well as a foot trail which paralleled the railroad grade that dates back to the creation of the Barlow Cut.