Rachel Lake Falls

Rachel Lake is the largest water body on the fantastic alpine environs of Rampart Ridge to the east of Snoqualmie Pass. The lake itself is a fairly popular dayhiking destination, even though the trail isn't quite up to the standards of many other hikes in the Interstate 90 corridor. What most don't realize about the Rachel Lake Trail is there are at least a half-dozen major waterfalls which can be found along the headwall below Rachel Lake as the various forks of Box Canyon Creek cascade down into the valley from the ridgeline. Rachel Lake Falls is the uppermost of the major waterfalls in the area, and is found a short distance downstream of the outlet of Rachel Lake itself. Though Box Canyon Creek begins to cascade very steeply immediately upon exiting the lake, the falls there are situated in a narrow gorge, can not be easily seen, and are usually buried under snow until mid-July so few people notice. Whether this series of cascades is significant enough to be considered a waterfall on its own right is not yet clear. But about 500 feet downstream of the outlet of the lake, Box Canyon Creek skips and veils over a very nice 89-foot tall horsetail-style waterfall, which features a free-falling section at its top and a more stereotypical veiling fall towards its base. Though Box Canyon Creek flows year round, at this point in its length it does not have a very significant basin feeding into it - basically just Rachel Lake itself - so after the winter snowpack has melted off, the volume of the creek will likely drop off considerably, though not likely to the point of running dry.