Upper Miller River Falls

The East Fork Miller River harbors several essentially hidden waterfalls, many of which are considerably more significant than the landscape initially lets on. The upper of the three major falls below the Dorothy Lake trailhead is an eye-catching natural 85-foot long waterslide which drops 42 vertical feet into a huge deep pool. Like its downstream sibling, despite the falls not being vertical, the volume of water present in the river can (in the spring and early summer at least) eject a surprising amount of mist into the air around the bottom of the falls. Located about 250 feet upstream from the main falls is a small 10-foot tall upper falls that rolls over a broad ledge in a very scenic form, and can be partially seen through the trees from the road (it is not considered to be part of this waterfall, nor is it significant enough to list individually). The East Fork Miller River basin upstream of the falls covers an area of approximately 15 square miles, and includes the largest lakes in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness but harbors no permanent snow or ice. While the large basin and the numerous lakes which feed into it ensure that the river flows well all year long, its volume does decrease by as much as 80% from the peak flow in May and June to the low flow rates seen in August and September. Enough volume will be present at any time of year for the falls to present themselves acceptably however.