Hiking the Lewis River Trail

Our time in southwestern Washington is running out, and we wanted to find a long dayhike that is emblematic of the Cascades Mountains.  We did some research, and found the Lewis River Falls Hike on the website of the Washington Trails Association.  At 8.8 miles, it was about the right length, and it has all of the features we were looking for.

The trailhead was a 2-hour drive from our RV, which is longer than we like, but we felt it would be worth the longer drive if the payoff was grand enough.  Grand it was!

The Washington Trails Association introduces the hike with the following:

To hike the lower section of the Lewis River 

is to step into a different world, 

populated by fantastic patches of old­growth fir and cedar 

in a shadowy section of the Gifford Pinchot. 

The Gifford Pinchot National Forest comprises 1.32 million acres spread along the western slopes of Cascade Range from Mount Rainier National Park in the north to the Columbia River in the south. It straddles the crest of the South Cascades of Washington State, spread out over broad, old growth forests, high mountain meadows, several glaciers, and numerous volcanic peaks. The forest's highest point is at 12,276 ft. at the top of Mount Adams, the second tallest volcano in Washington State, after Rainier. It includes the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument.

The Lewis River is a prime fishing river and flows dramatically through the Cascades.  Hydroelectric dams impound it twice to create Yale Lake and Swift Reservoir, huge lakes that offer unlimited recreational opportunities to local residents.  The glacial green water of the river and lakes adds to their dramatic beauty.  Here is a view of Swift Reservoir:

We started our hike at the Lower Lewis River Recreational Area, near the Lower Lewis River Falls. The Falls are spectacular. At a 43 feet high and 200 feet across, they are larger in person than photos may lead you to believe. On the near side is a churning trough which gathers most of the water flow, and there are several viewpoints to capture the scene from.   This view shows the entire falls, but it is so far from them that it doesn't convey the size or power of the falls:

To get an idea how large the Lower Lewis River Falls is, check out this video of the Lower Lewis River Falls.

Hiking upstream from the lower falls, we encountered lots of white and purple trillium, which are the harbingers of Spring!

Several creeks and small streams feed into the Lewis River, and we had a chance to enjoy them as we crossed them:

A mile and a half upstream lie the Middle Lewis River Falls, a river­width combination of a waterfall and a cascade of water sheeting along bedrock.  When we reached it, Kathy found the marker sign, fallen and abandoned near the trail.  So she thought it would be appropriate to hold the sign in front of the falls:

That photo also fails to give you an idea what the Middle Lewis River Falls is all about, so, again, check out this video of the Middle Lewis River Falls.

This entire section of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest is replete with old growth fir and cedar trees.  Here is one old fellow that was so tall we couldn't even get him into a single photograph:

The river is hemmed in by large cliffs of volcanic rock, on which luxurious moss, lichen and ferns grow.  We encountered this little hanging garden-and-waterfall alongside the trail:

Here, Kathy inspects a much larger cliffside hanging garden:

Here is yet another feeder stream we crossed:

About 2.5 miles upstream, we arrived at the Upper Lewis River Falls, which are 58 feet high and 175 feet across.  There are several spots from which to view these falls, but the most dramatic is an observation point right beside the falls, where we ate our lunch.  The point is drenched with spray from the falls, to the point that the wooden fence and sign marking the falls are rotting away:

But the falls themselves are extraordinarily dramatic.  Here is a video of the Upper Lewis River Falls.

The hike back is never quite as dramatic as the hike out, which is all about discovery.  However, the hike back gives you a chance to look again from a different perspective at things you first saw on the walk out.  It also occasionally gives you views you didn't see the first time around.  For example, on our hike back to the trailhead, we caught this fetching view of Lower Copper Creek Falls as it tumbles 32 feet toward the river:

This was Sunday, the last day of Spring Break for students in this area, so we encountered many hikers on the trail, including families with kids.  Yet, even at such a heavy time for hiking, the trail was never crowded and we had all our "falls moments" to ourselves.  Even our lunch at the prime viewing spot for the upper falls was in splendid quietude!

This hike is not to be missed if you visit the Cascade Mountains in southern Washington.  We don't believe we've ever encountered so many dramatic waterfalls in a single hike anywhere else in our travels.