|
Between Cooper Lake and the Cle Elum River, the Cooper River courses down an impressive canyon, teeming with small waterfalls and cascades. However, before it gets to all that, it drops over this 40 foot fanning-cascade. Accounts from Kayakers who frequent the river below the falls say its 50 feet tall, but it looks to be a bit less than that to me. The perspective achieved from the base of the falls really doesn't show how long the falls are either. From head on, the falls appear to be a relatively straight forward fan-shaped waterfall, but if one were to ford the river (don't do it unless the river is low), the falls would reveal themselves to be a long, sloping cascade, with the majority of the water falling off to the side of the falls, rather than straight ahead. This phenomenon becomes much more obvious when the river is running low late in the year.
- Cooper Falls is the Adopted name of this waterfall.
Cooper Falls is remarkably easy to reach, the biggest difficulty is finding the trailhead. Located near Salmon La Sac, north of Roslyn. Drive north from Roslyn on Highway 903 for about 17 miles to the Cooper River Road (FR 46), and turn left. Follow the FR 46 for right around 3 1/4 miles, to an unmarked turnout on the right side of the road. There are several turnouts in this area, so the identifying landmark is a dirt road that branches off uphill on the left, immediately before you'll see the turnout on the right. There is room for about 2-3 cars for parking, so don't confuse it with the large turnout a short distance back down the road. From here, follow the short, obvious trail down to the river and the base of the falls in about 1/5 mile. Best views of the falls are from a rock sticking out of the middle of the riverbed. If the river is running really high, it might not be possible to see the falls unobstructed.
|
