Lower Thunder Falls

RATING - 32.0

VR - 8.0 (Big) HR - 2.0 SR - 16/20

TYPE OF APPROACH - Bushwhack

DIFFICULTY - Very Difficult

LOCATION - Middle Fork Nooksack

TYPE - Tiered

HEIGHT - 43'

WIDTH - 10'

GPS - N48 45.666 W121 53.428

ELEVATION - 4442'

DIRECTIONS - No directions provided. Dangerous access.

While not nearly as impressive as Thunder Falls upstream, Lower Thunder Falls is really unique. The streams from Thunder and Lightning Falls combine and a short distance downstream drop over this 43' tall waterfall. The stream cascades for 11' feet and then drops over the main, 32' tall drop where the creek slides down a bedrock ramp and launches itself up and outward into a beautiful pool of water. The cliff the waterfall drops over is really cool, but the area below and around the waterfall is pretty messy thanks to the tremendous amount of avalanche debris. The cliff walls are covered with greenery and flowers as well which adds to the scene.

There is a small, seasonal creek that joins Wallace Creek here on the left side. This creek actually has several more small waterfalls upstream that I didn't bother to investigate because of the small size of the creek.