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Far Country Falls
   King County, Washington

[ Physical Makeup ]  [ Pictures ]  [ Maps ]  [ Update History ]

This is one of five named waterfalls in the Cougar Mountain Park complex. I'll dish the dirt right away so as to not waste anyone's time: this one is for collectors only. The falls - if they can be called that - are a 20 foot series of cascades dropping over and around large mossy boulders. A spur path from a nearby trail ends at the top of the falls, arguably the best viewpoint because of thick foliage below the falls, but there really isn't anywhere to see the entire falls without part being blocked by one of the large boulders. Long Marsh Creek is fed by a small marsh, and relies solely on rain and rare lowland snow to keep it flowing, don't be surprised if you visit and the falls are bone dry in May. But again, because the falls are both uninteresting, and require a moderate walk to reach, I wouldn't recommend wasting your time here unless you are already planning to hike to other nearby destinations (and even then, don't waste too much time here, it just isn't worth it).

HISTORY AND NAMING INFORMATION

  • Far Country Falls is the Official name of this waterfall.

I don't know when the falls were discovered or named, but I'm presuming the name was leeched from the nearby Far Country lookout tower.

LOCATION AND DIRECTIONS

easy access

Located in Cougar Mountain Regional Wildlife Park. Easiest way to reach the trailhead is as follows. From 405, head east on I-90, exit at Lakemont Boulevard (Exit 13) and turn right towards Newcastle. Proceed 3 miles on Lakemont to the Red Town Trailhead parking area on the left side of the road, just before crossing Coal Creek. If you must see this one, at the trailhead, head left (uphill) on the Red Town trail for ¾ of a mile, then go left on the Indian Trail, following signs to the Far Country lookout. The falls are another 1/3 of a mile away. Watch for an unmarked spur where the valley opens up and drops off to the right (the falls can be heard from the trail when flowing). This one is easily visited when hiking to Coal Creek Falls. Be sure to take a free map of the trail system at the trailhead.

Latitude

47.52097 N

Longitude

-122.1281 W

Elevation

710 feet

USGS Quadrangle

Bellevue South 7 1/2"

Online USGS Topographic maps on Terraserver

Aerial Photographs: Terraserver | Flash Earth

Download KML

Open this location in Google Earth

OTHER NEARBY WATERFALLS

Name

Distance

Coal Creek Falls

0.925 miles

Doughty Falls

1.439 miles

North Fork Falls

1.825 miles

Sandstone Falls

3.115 miles

 

 

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Magnitude

 

IWC

Unrated

RATING

1.51 %

 

NO PICTURES CURRENTLY AVAILABLE

 

PHYSICAL MAKEUP

Height

20 feet

Tallest Drop

20 feet

Num. Drops

1

AVG. Width

4 feet

Pitch

59 degrees

Run

20 feet

Primary Form

Steep Cascade

 

Watershed

Cedar River

Stream

Long Marsh Creek

AVG. Volume

1.0 cfs

Source

Runoff

Seasonality

5 months

Best Flows

Winter

 
 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Search for Far Country Falls on Google

Information on this waterfall at the World Waterfall Database

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UPDATE HISTORY

Nov 11, 2012

Edited basic information about this waterfall

 
 
 
 
 

 

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