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Situated on a slice of DNR land seemingly in the middle of nowhere, Explorer Falls is one of the few waterfalls in the state with a lot of character. Surrounded by former gravel pits, now being rampantly overgrown with Alder, accessed via an unofficial trail system used for training Search and Rescue teams and punctuated by a 7 foot deep cave locally dubbed Hobbit Hole, the falls aren't the only noteworthy feature in the area. The falls themselves skip about 50 feet down a mossy wall along an unnamed branch of the East Fork of Woods Creek. The catch basin for the stream is small, so I wouldn't be surprised if they run dry late in the summer. As mentioned above, there is a small cave at the bottom of the falls with a short, rickety ladder leading to it. It's not terribly interesting, but a neat feature nonetheless. A trail does lead to the top of the falls, so an accurate measurement can be taken with a plumb line if necessary (though I do have a laser rangefinder now, so that shouldn't be necessary).
- Explorer Falls is the Official name of this waterfall.
- Known Alternate Names: Wheeler Falls
The name of the falls is a bit of a mystery to me. The name Explorer Falls seems to have been used for the falls since the early 70's, possibly earlier, but I've also heard the name Wheeler Falls applied to the falls from local folks.
Located near Lake Roesiger, between Monroe and Granite Falls. From the junction of Highway 2 and SR 522 in Monroe, head east on Highway 2 for ½ mile to Woods Creek Road (turn left at Taco Time - not at the stop light). Drive north on Woods Creek Road for about 13 miles to Lake Roesiger Road and turn right. Staying right on East Lake Roesiger Road, follow for about 2 ½ miles to Monroe Camp Road (signed for Camp Brinkley) and turn right. Follow the paved road to it's end at a gate in another 2.3 miles. Park and walk along the road on the other side of the gate for just over a mile to the falls. The creek is crossed about 200 feet before the falls can be seen through the trees. The trail branches off to the right just before you come to a length of exposed cliffs next to an old gravel pit and runs into the creek immediately. The top of the falls can be seen from here. Rock hop upstream along a path for about 100 feet (crossing the creek 3 times as of my most recent visit) to reach the base of the falls.
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