Sholes Glacier Falls

RATING - 24.0

VR - 4.0 (Sm/M) HR - 4.0 SR - 8/20

TYPE OF APPROACH - Trail

DIFFICULTY - Fairly Difficult

LOCATION - Ptarmigan Ridge

TYPE - Cascades

HEIGHT - 60'

WIDTH - 5'

GPS - N48 49' 15.16" W121 45' 55.67

ELEVATION - 5290'

DIRECTIONS - Drive to Artists Point at the end of the Mt. Baker Highway and take the Ptarmigan Ridge Trail. In 4.5 miles, the trail will travel along the south side of Coleman Pinnacle and then climb up to the top of the ridge above the Sholes Creek Valley. Sholes Glacier Falls can be seen by looking northwest from the top of the ridge.

Sholes Creek begins its life at the toe of the Sholes Glacier and flows northwest to join Bar Creek. Along its route, there are at least four major waterfalls. The first of these is Sholes Glacier Falls. Just downstream from the glacier, Sholes Creek encounters a bedrock shelf and drops 60' in two steps. The cliff itself is an amazing andesite formation that can only be appreciated from up close. The waterfall is located in the barren wasteland left over from the retreating glacier. The waterfall can be viewed from just off the Ptarmigan Ridge Trail near Camp Kiser (left). An up close view is possible by scrambling down the loose rocks to the falls. The photo below was taken from a ways downstream with lots of forest fire smoke in the air.