Twin Falls

The larger and upper of the two major waterfalls on Big Tree Creek is a scenic fine-lined plunge which leaps a clean 66 feet over an undercut basalt ledge, dropping into a surprisingly significant canyon set amid otherwise unassuming timber land. During periods of heavier flow, the falls spread out across a significantly broader expanse of the cliff, potentially tripling in breadth, but still retaining a well defined classic "plunge" form. Contrary to its name, there does not seem to be a "twin" to the plunge currently - the one time second segment has long since been plugged up. Perhaps a flood will unplug it some day. Though the falls can be accessed with not a whole lot of effort involved, there is bushwhacking involved to view this waterfall, and given that the surrounding forest has been clearcut in the past, the current trees are small with thick undergrowth branches which make travel through the woods to the canyon rim slow and annoying. The descent to the bottom of the canyon is even brushier and will involve navigating through thickets of Salmonberry and Devils Club. Twin Falls is located on private timberland now owned by Weyerhaeuser and though public access is allowed it now requires a recreation permit be to purchased.Twin Falls is the historically appropriate name for this waterfall, dating back to before 1910 (an exact date is not known though). The name stems from the fact that the falls at one time broke into twinned side-by-side plunges of approximately equal volume - the righthand plunge seems to have been plugged up for quite some time now. The falls gained minor notoriety from the Twin Falls Logging Company, an early iteration of Weyerhaeuser, that set up operation in the vicinity of the falls, and as illustrated in a historical photograph of the falls, clearcut the area all around the waterfall in the process. In 1910 the Twin Falls Logging Company ceased operations and became the Clark County Timber Co, which operated under that name until it shut down in 1925. We had previously listed this entry simply as Upper Big Tree Creek Falls, having not heard of the name Twin Falls until recently.