Soaking up the views

Waterfall lovers will certainly want to visit the Lewis River in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Not only do three separate falls plunge across rock cliffs in a space of less than three miles, two other nearby waterfalls add a dash of extra flavor to your visit.

Located near the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, the waterfalls are mostly accessed off Road 90, a mostly paved route.

Unfortunately, the official names of these falls on the Lewis River -- Lower, Middle and Upper Falls -- do nothing to entice visitors. We were told that Lower Falls was also known as Gods Falls at the time of our first visit 15 years ago. Now that's a waterfall name that appropriately portends its heavenly vistas.

Another bonus of the Lower Falls site is a Forest Service campground with spacious campsites. Parking is handy to the falls viewpoints, where pole rails offer protection along the nearly sheer banks of the river. Just a few hundred feet from the car you can be swept away by the spectacle of water pouring over a broad lip of rock.

Once you complete your investigation of Lower Falls head upriver on the pleasant Lewis River Trail. This portion of tread which winds up and down along the river for the next three miles is only a small piece of a more extended trail. The Lewis River Trail runs for more than 11 miles downstream from the campground as well. In our mid-July visit, we encountered two backpackers who had just returned from two nights out on that section of trail and marveled at their views of the river and the surrounding old growth forest.

That same type of forest exists along the three-mile stretch you can hike while visiting the waterfalls. Our Cascadian group stopped at one large, old fir and had five people stretched out along its width. And the forest floor is green in most places with ferns, salal and other plants flourishing along the trail.

As you start upriver from Lower Falls, the trail takes you by several wooden stairstep/walkways leading down to the bank of the Lewis River. For most of the remainder of the hike, the trail does not actually reach the river, but stays higher on the abrupt hillside.

From the campground, it's one mile to a junction with the Wright Trail, 1.5 miles to Middle Falls, and 2.5 miles to Upper Falls. Various streams are passed along the route, including one that had a more substantial footbridge at one time; the span is now cracked and bowed downward in the middle, although still passable.

In 11/4 miles, the main trail intersects a side path leading up to the Middle Falls parking area along Road 90, only a quarter mile away. (So if you want to save some hiking distance you can simply drive from the Lower Falls area farther up Road 90 to the Middle Falls lot and then walk downhill to reach the next falls area.)

Just before reaching Middle Falls, the trail includes another creek crossing, this one featuring a broad rock slide covered with a sheen of water just below the footbridge. This is on Copper Creek.

Middle Falls can be seen from the bank below the broad falls and also from a switchback almost even with the falls. With care you can descend to a rocky ledge right next to the pool below the falls for the best viewing.

After leaving Middle Falls, the main trail climbs somewhat up the hillside and reaches another junction with the Middle Falls Trail. This side trail passes Copper Falls if you proceed an additional quarter-mile uphill. It also reaches Road 90.

Beyond this side trail, the route passes below some rock cliffs before descending to a major footbridge above Alex Creek. Now Upper Falls comes into view. Again, to get down next to the river you must scramble down a rough path.

Continue on another third of a mile to an upper vista of the third major falls you visit on this hike. If you have arranged a car shuttle, it is possible to walk on up the Lewis River Trail until it reaches Road 90 near Quartz Creek in another half mile or so; otherwise, the Upper Falls viewpoints are the turnaround spot for your return hike to Lower Falls. The six-mile round trip has an elevation gain of only a few hundred feet.

This hike makes a great summer hike because of its forest-canopy shade and the spots where you can dabble your toes and cool down. Although these falls tend to diminish over the course of the summer, the late snowmelt has kept them flowing strongly so far this summer.

Two brief side trips off the Lewis River yield excellent waterfall vistas at Curly Creek and Big Creek. To reach Curly Creek Falls you must leave Road 90, turning left on Road 9039 about five miles from the junction with Road 25 and, after crossing the Lewis River, continue one mile to a trailhead parking area on the left. Take the trail to the right for a quarter-mile to an observation point well above the river. Curly Creek Falls descends from the opposite bank and features an unusual rock arch partway down the falls.

Big Creek Falls is accessed from a trailhead parking area about nine miles along Road 90 from the Road 25 junction. Walk either way on a loop route to an observation platform featuring views of the falls. A trail continues downstream on a high rim for those who want more exercise and a few more vista points of the Big Creek gorge.

So before your summer is over, plunge into a trip to the waterfalls of the Lewis River. Since it entails a long drive, an overnight stay at the campground by Lower Falls would give you plenty of time to soak up the fabulous views.

* Ron Graham, an elementary school teacher and native of the Yakima Valley, is an avid outdoorsman who has hiked throughout the Pacific Northwest.

If you go

What: Three major Lewis River waterfalls.

Where: In the Gifford Pinchot National Forest southeast of Mount St. Helens.

How: Drive west from Yakima across White Pass on Highway 12 to Randle, then turn south on Road 25. Follow this curvy, paved forest road 45 miles to a junction with Road 90. Turn left on 90, crossing the Swift River on the Eagle Cliff Bridge. The turn for Curly Creek Falls is about five miles; the turn for Big Creek is in about nine miles; the turn for Lower Falls and the campground is in 14 miles.

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