Strandberg Falls

The falls are located about 200 yards above the Ross Dam on the east shore of Ross Lake. Access to the falls is had by following the Ross Dam Trail from Highway 20 to the service road above the dam, heading left on the road, then taking the next right and crossing Ross Dam to views from the trail on the opposite side. The total distance from the road is about a mile.Strandberg Falls is the culmination of Happy Creek's descent to the Skagit River. The falls veil directly into Ross Lake just upstream from the Ross Dam, which makes them both easy to see and access. When Ross Lake has a full pool level, the falls stand about 117 feet tall. However, in recent years, the lake has rarely been full and the resulting draw down can as much as double the height of the falls, as seen in the accompanying photographs. Futhering that fact, Strandberg Falls is unique because the creek flows out of a hole in the adjacent cliff before plunging into the lake. Shortly after the construction of the Ross Dam, the creek was diverted from its former course so that it would enter into Ross Lake, rather than into the Skagit Gorge immediately below the location of the dam. Looking over Ross Dam, a small seasonal stream can be seen in the early months of the year flowing down the former channel of Happy Creek, dropping over what used to be a rather impressive 500 foot waterfall.The architect of the Happy Creek diversion tunnel was an employee of Seattle City Light by the name of Herbert V. Strandberg. Upon completion of the tunnel, the falls were dubbed Strandberg Falls by the workers at the hydro project. Strandberg was also a pioneering mountain climber in the North Cascades, establishing many routes to the high peaks of the Pickett Range and the Colonial Group.