Rosario Falls
RATING - 15.0
VR - 2.0 (Small) HR - 1.5 SR - 12/20
TYPE OF APPROACH - Roadside
DIFFICULTY - Very Easy
LOCATION - Rosario Resort
TYPE - Cascades
HEIGHT - 25'
WIDTH - 5'
DIRECTIONS - Take the ferry to Orcas Island. Upon disembarking, turn left and drive along the road for around 25 minutes and turn right at the sign marked Rosario Resort. Follow the road down to the bay for a short distance. At a weird 3-way stop, turn to the left (away from the mansion) and follow this road down to the marina. For a view of the upper part of the falls, stay on the road until it heads up the hill on the opposite side of the bay. To see the lower part drop into the bay, park in the gravel lot between the marina and the mansion and walk to the end of the concrete pier.
Rosario Resort on Orcas Island is a very popular destination for snobby rich people from around the world. Luckily for us common folk, the resort is very much open to the public in a lot of ways. On the opposite side of Rosario Bay from the resort, a small, unnamed creek runs down the hillside from Cascade Lake, under a road, and drops into the bay. While not the biggest falls on the island, the cool setting and the drop directly into Puget Sound make them very unique. The best view of the falls would be had from a boat in the bay, but you can see them fairly well from around the flagpole at the Rosario Marina or from the end of the dock. There is even a picnic table nearby the upper section for a nice lunch spot. During a low tide it is possible to just walk along the shore and get to the base of the falls.
