Upper Mesatchee Creek Falls

Located near Chinook Pass, off Highway 410, east of Mount Rainier National Park. On Highway 410, proceed 6 3/4 miles east of Chinook Pass to the marked Mesatchee Creek Trailhead. Follow the access road to its end and park. The trail, commonly used for stock travel, follows an old roadbed for the first mile. Where the trail intersects another road, keep straight, and follow the middle path at the second parking area (it is also possible to park here to cut off 2/3 of a mile of walking if you can find the right spur off 410). The trail then crosses Morse Creek and then runs into the American River at 1.2 miles. There is no bridge, and though fording is possible, the river is rather deep here. A logjam just downstream provides a dry crossing. Once across, keep straight at the next junction, and start climbing uphill, passing Mesatchee Creek Falls at 2 miles. About 1/3 of a mile further, at a switchback where the trail begins slowly bending away from the canyon, the falls can be accessed by leaving the trail and paralleling the canyon for about 200 feet. Again, we don't recommend this be undertaken by anyone with less than goat-like reflexes.We had read of another reputedly larger waterfall visible along the Mesatchee Creek Trail once passed Mesatchee Creek Falls itself. The canyon upstream of the lower falls is quite conducive to this theory but the bedrock is rather crumbly in this area and upon scouting we started to develop the impression that this was a false premonition because there are two viewpoints for the lower falls. However, a little scrambling along the canyon rim while following a hunch proved otherwise. The upper falls aren't as big as the lower falls, but they are quite worthy of note - plunging about 45 feet from an extremely narrow portion of the canyon. The biggest factor playing against this waterfall is that it is impossible to see unless you are standing directly across from it. The creek does a sharp "S" bend where the falls occur, and the cliffs are just such that they block views (as well as the majority of the echoes from the falling water) from downstream. Because the falls can't be seen from the trail, we do not recommend trying to visit this location, so if you get injured visiting, don't say you weren't warned.