Perry Creek Falls

The Perry Creek Trail starts from the joint Perry Creek / Mount Dickerman Trailhead along the Mountain Loop Highway, 26.5 miles east of Granite Falls. The Perry Creek Trail starts at the west end of the parking lot and parallels the Mountain Loop Highway for a mile to where it intersects the old Perry Creek Road (now part of the trail). The falls are encountered a total of 3-1/2 miles from the trailhead where the trail passes by the top of the falls, or about 2 miles from the old trailhead at the end of the closed road. To view the falls from below, continue upstream for 200 feet to where the trail fords the creek (chances are you'll get wet crossing) and walk up the large log on the other side. Find the fairly obvious social paths heading back downstream and then scramble down the steep but open hillside to the bench across from the falls.Perry Creek Falls is frequently identified as the destination of choice for hikers venturing along the Perry Creek Trail off of the Mountain Loop Highway. The falls occur along a sharp heavily forested step in the otherwise surprisingly exposed valley where the creek crashes down a narrow gorge for a total of 101 feet, first in a veiling upper tier which drops 61 feet into a sculpted basin, and then a 40 foot lower tier which plunges sideways into a narrow but short box canyon. The falls are oriented such that they drop at an angle facing away from the trail as it approaches the top of the falls, so while viewing the falls is as easy as stopping along the trail, the only views afforded from the trail are those looking directly over the falls. In order to obtain a clear head-on view, one must cross Perry Creek a short distance upstream and then scramble down the hillside on the opposite side of the creek to a natural bench perched just above the gorge of the lower tier of the falls which offers and excellent vista. The drainage basin of Perry Creek upstream from the falls is quite small, covering an area of just eight-tenths of a square mile. Most of this basin is shielded from direct sunlight in the spring and early summer months by the hulking north face of Mount Dickerman, so the winter snow which falls in the area typically melts out slowly, so despite the small drainage size the creek still manages to retain a modest flow for much of the year (outside of the dry summer months at least). Visiting any time between mid-October and July when the trail isn't snow bound should be adequate to find a healthy flow in the creek. Note - do not attempt to visit the falls in the winter months, as there will be severe avalanche hazards found throughout Perry Creek's valley.