Upper Marten Creek Falls

While Marten Creek produces a set of pretty and unique waterfalls immediately adjacent to the Snoqualmie Lake Trail, it isn't a one-trick pony, so to speak. Tucked at the head of a surprisingly significant gorge which runs upstream from the top of Marten Creek Falls toward Marten Lake is a second set of falls, a bit taller and definitely more impressive than its downstream sibling. The falls consist of two primary sections; first a long gradual sliding cascade which terminates in a much steeper, squarely shaped sliding fall with a second block-shaped fall just below, and then after running down a second cascading trough for about 200 feet a nearly sheer plunge of 76 feet into the depths of the creek's gorge. Adjacent to the plunging lower fall is a seasonal tributary fall which also drops about the same distance. Unfortunately due to the shape of the canyon below the lower tier, and the direction in which it falls, there does not appear to be any easy way to achieve a clear view of the lower and larger part of the falls without either resorting to technical climbing or putting up with some seriously heinous looking brush. Given that the creek runs down a long bedrock slide upstream of the upper tier of the falls, it may actually extend a considerable distance further upstream as well, but we have not yet been able to verify this hypothesis. Though Marten Creek is one of the largest tributaries to the Taylor River, fed by a constant flow of water from Marten Lake about a mile upstream, the creek does lose considerable volume since there is no permanent ice feeding the drainage basin. The falls will roar to life through the spring and early summer months, but by autumn will be much more graceful and gentle than powerful and roaring - and while this isn't likely to affect the upper half of the falls in a very negative way, the lower tier of the falls will likely be entirely obstructed from view versus the partial view through the trees which can be achieved during high water periods.