White River Falls

White River Falls is located northwest of Lake Wenatchee. Take US Highway 2 to Coles Corner and turn north onto Highway 207 where signs point to Lake Wenatchee State Park and Plain. Follow Highway 207, which turns into Lake Wenatchee Highway after crossing the Wenatchee River, for 10-1/2 miles then turn right onto White River Road shortly before the main road makes a sharp bend to the left. Follow White River Road for another 7 miles to the trailhead at its end and park. Cross the White River on a footbridge and go up the trail for about 100 feet, then make a hard left onto Indian Creek Trail #1502 (also signed for Mount David). Continue another eight-tenths of a mile to a spur trail to the left signed for White River Falls, which leads to viewpoints at the top of the falls in another 300 feet. There is no direct access to the base of the falls. The falls can also be accessed from within the White River Falls Campground a mile before the end of the White River Road, but the views are much more limited from that side of the river.White River Falls is a noisy cascading waterfall along its namesake river located about halfway between Lake Wenatchee and the source(s) of the White River in Foam Creek Basin and the White River Glacier on the Dakobed Range near Glacier Peak. The falls drop a total of 43 feet in two primary steps, first as a crashing cascade where the river funnels semi-sideways into a narrow grotto between two vertical cliffs, and then after pausing in a small churning pool rolling over a smaller ledge which hasn't quite been eroded away by the pounding force of the river. The orientation of the falls makes it difficult to view from either side of the river - the upper tier falls towards the west bank but only after the river makes a sharp bend to the right above the falls, and the lower tier faces the almost the opposite direction but cliffs on the east bank won't allow a clear view of the base of the falls. Attempting to view the falls from river level on the west side are likewise foiled because of the way the cliffs shield the majority of the falls from view from downstream. The top of the falls can be easily accessed from within the White River Falls Campground, but due to the aforementioned inconvenient orientation of the falls, its only possible to look over the top of the main part of the falls. A mostly full view is possible from the opposite side but only after hiking for about a mile (the hike is easy however). A small cascading upper falls on the White River can also be seen when taking the hike option, just upstream of the footbridge over the river at the end of the White River Road. These upper falls proved to be too small to qualify for inclusion in the database (just 12 feet tall), but they are nonetheless scenic.