Upper Lightning Falls

RATING - 30.0

VR - 4.0 (Sm/M) HR - 6.0 SR - 6/20

TYPE OF APPROACH - Bushwhack

DIFFICULTY - Very Difficult

LOCATION - Middle Fork Nooksack

TYPE - Cascades

HEIGHT - 194'

WIDTH - 20'

GPS - N48 45.652 W121 52.748

ELEVATION - 5338'

DIRECTIONS - No directions provided to protect delicate meadows en route.

Upper Lightning Falls is a fairly tall, cascading waterfall located a short distance upstream from Lightning Falls. The creek cascades down a series of bedrock mounds, twisting this way and that as it falls. This makes it difficult to see the entire waterfall or get a good idea of its size. I was able to measure the waterfall at 194' tall, but there may be more above that I couldn't see from where I was. Because of the twisted nature of the cascades and the massive foreshortening from the bottom, this waterfall does not appear to be very substantial. Consider this as sort of the appetizer to the main dish just downstream.