About Beaver Falls
Beaver Falls was a waterfall we almost gave up on because we had trouble finding it.
It was one of the more obscure waterfalls on our trip to the Olympic Peninsula probably as a result of its elusive nature.
I’m guessing that this obscurity was in part because there were no signs indicating its presence.
Yet perhaps if this waterfall was a more well-known attraction with more devoted infrastructure to facilitate visitation, then it wouldn’t be so obscure in the first place.
During heavy rain, we actually pulled over at a pair of pullouts before we luckily heard the sound of falling water at the second pullout (see directions below).
That second pullout turned out to be at the top of the Beaver Falls so I suspected that the other pullout was the one that would take me closer to the base of the falls.
Given the rain, I never bothered to entertain the notion of trying to get down to the base of the falls directly from its top.
So in a way, the rain actually helped me find the correct path that led to the base of the Beaver Falls.
Scrambling to the bottom of Beaver Falls
Speaking of that scrambling path from the first pullout, it rained hard enough to cause an ephemeral stream that I was able to follow towards the scrambling path.
This impromptu creek initially flowed along a guard rail before veering steeply down towards the main creek.
Even though it felt like I was scrambling down a stream that was cascading given the steepness of the terrain, there were enough footholds from a neighboring tree as well as the trail itself to make it down without too much risk to life and limb.
From down at the bottom of the scramble, the view of the Beaver Falls was satisfactory though I’d say this waterfall was probably more for waterfall collectors.
It had a pretty short drop (maybe 30ft or so), but it could potentially be as wide as 80ft when flooded.
I happened to see it as a few segments biased to the left side of the escarpment, and I suspected this was more or less average flow considering it was raining hard during my visit.
However, its base flow came from Beaver Lake which seemed to source this part of Beaver Creek.
The steep path to the base wasn’t for everyone, but I felt it was doable as long as I took my time.
Authorities
Beaver Falls resides in Olympic National Forest near Forks in Clallam County, Washington. It is administered by the USDA Forest Service. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, visit their website or Facebook page.
We visited Beaver Falls while driving from Forks along the US101 towards Burnt Mountain Rd (Hwy 113) on the left.
This turnoff is roughly 13 miles northeast of Forks or around 17 miles west of Fairholm.
Once on Burnt Mountain Rd, we headed north about 2 miles.
The key is to look for a large pullout with a guardrail just north of the Beaver Creek Bridge.
It might help to pay attention to the odometer because the correct pullout is not signed.
If you make it to Beaver Lake, you went too far.
For context, Port Angeles was about 57 miles (over an hour drive) northeast of Forks and 82 miles (or 2.5 hours drive including a ferry ride [so it would take more time than this]) from Seattle.
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