Phoenix Falls

Phoenix Falls was a virtual unknown until exploration of the canyons of the Whychus Creek drainage. While scouting possible routes for hiking in the area, I saw a pretty obvious waterfall on the maps, and compared it to the aerial photography, and it looked like it panned out. So, upon embarking on the trek, this waterfall became the upstream end of the outing. After crossing through a burned-out area, and following a meandering stream through a narrow canyon, this positively beautiful 120-foot waterfall revealed itself veiling into the canyon in an amphitheater flanked by cliffs on one side, and lengthy talus slopes on the other, with patches of meadows below the falls. To top the scene off, the falls lie right in the middle of an area burnt down by a forest fire. Surprisingly, this doesn't detract from the beauty of the scene at all - rather it adds to it. This is such a great waterfall I had a hard time determining which in the area was the best one. Ultimately, Kaluwas Falls won out because of its height, but this one is a close second. Fair warning, however; though the cross country travel to the falls is quite easy, you need to make sure you're familiar with your surroundings and orientation, because it is easy to get lost en route to the falls if you don't know your baring.Because the falls are located in an area burned by a recent forest fire, I felt the name Phoenix Falls was more than appropriate. Those of you not familiar, a Phoenix is a mythical bird who, upon death combusts and from the ashes a new Phoenix is reborn.