Upper Snow Creek Falls

Upper Snow Creek Falls is found between Upper Snow Lake and Lake Viviane on the eastern approach to the Enchantment Lakes Basin in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness just outside of Leavenworth. There are two primary routes into the Enchantments, both of which are long enough and strenuous enough that day hiking is discouraged for all but the strongest hikers. From the Snow Creek trailhead, located about 4.25 miles south of Highway 2 in Leavenworth along the Icicle Creek Road, it's about 9 miles and 4600 feet of elevation gain along the Snow Creek Trail to where the trail passes the base of the falls, or if starting from the Stuart Lake trailhead, about a 9.5 mile hike via Colchuck Lake, Aasgard Pass (aka Colchuck Pass) and the Snow Creek Trail - which will involve 4600 feet of gain followed by almost 2000 feet of loss - to reach the same point. Additionally, be aware that between June 15th and October 15th, special issue permits are needed for all travel into the Enchantment Lakes area regardless of whether you plan on camping or just day hiking. Contact the Wenatchee National Forest ranger station in Leavenworth for more information.The second major waterfall along Snow Creek as it exits the Enchantment Lakes basin is a series of slides and cascades totaling about 150 feet in height, located about half of a mile upstream from the footbridge at the inlet to Upper Snow Lake. The upper section of the falls is somewhat difficult to view, as it cascades down a heavily fractured sluiceway in the granite bedrock - becoming even more difficult to see during low flow periods because of how the water occupies the narrow cracks in the rocks - while the lower tier veils down a smooth section of bedrock into a small pool. When surveyed in early October 2012, we were able to measure the lowermost tier as dropping 49 feet, however it was not possible to measure the upper tier, so the actual height of the falls will remain unknown until further surveying can be done.