Snoquera Falls

From the town of Greenwater, follow Highway 410 south towards Mount Rainier National Park for about 11 miles, or 1.5 miles past the viewpoint for Skookum Falls, to the Camp Sheppard Trailhead, and turn left to the parking area. The falls can be seen high up on the cliffs above Camp Sheppard as one turns into the trailhead area, and if you cannot see it flowing from here, you will not find very much water in the creek (if any). From the parking lot, follow the log-lined trail past the Camp Sheppard amphitheater then just before crossing Snoquera Creek, take the center trail at a three way junction which crosses Snoquera Creek and heads uphill. About one-fifth of a mile from the trailhead you'll encounter a four-way junction - keep straight on Snoquera Falls Trail #1167, and then after about three-quarters of a mile make a hard left where signs again point to Snoquera Falls. Three long switchbacks later you'll arrive at the base of the falls, a total of 1.4 miles from the parking lot.Snoquera Falls is one of the tallest plunging waterfalls in Washington, but due to its tiny drainage basin is by no means among the best or most impressive waterfalls the state has to offer. So insignificant is the stream that when viewed from Highway 410 it is often difficult to tell a waterfall exists at all. That said, of the handful of lofty waterfalls found around the canyon along the White River known as The Dalles, Snoquera Falls is easily the best. The falls consist of two distinct leaps; the first a sheer plunge of 300 feet over a jagged cliff, and the second a 180 foot tall veil where the creek spreads out into dozens of tiny rivulets after impacting on a ledge, spreading out over 60 feet in width as it veils to the talus slope below. During periods of exceptionally heavy flow the falls may leap entirely free of the ledge which separates the two tiers, allowing the falls to drop for a sheer 480 feet without interruption. We were fortunate enough to witness such an occurrence in May of 2008 when record high temperatures induced a fury of snowmelt in the area, and turned Snoquera Falls into a violent sheer plunge waterfall in stark contrast to its norally delicate nature (do not expect this kind of behavior to be commonplace however). The drainage area upstream of Snoquera Falls is only about three-quarters of a square mile in size, so while there is enough land to ensure the falls flow respectably during the snow melt season, by July the stream is essentially just a dribble down the cliff, and will often run entirely dry by August. Those wishing to view the falls at their best are urged to visit between April and June. Fortunately, as the falls can be easily viewed from Highway 410, you can verify whether the hike to its base would be worth the effort before embarking.The name Snoquera originates from the amalgamation of "Snoqualmie" and "Emergency Relief Appropriations" (ERA) Act of 1935 - part of Roosevelt's New Deal programs. Camp Sheppard, now a Boy Scouts of America camp, was originally a Civilian Conservation Corp camp built in the mid 1930s to assist in the construction of roads into Mount Rainier National Park, and was dubbed such presumably because the CCC (or Washington Conservation Corp perhaps) came in from the Snoqualmie area.