Portal Falls

RATING - 20.0

VR - 4.0 (Sm/M) HR - 4.0 SR - 4/20

TYPE OF APPROACH - Trail

DIFFICULTY - Fairly Difficult

LOCATION - Rainbow Ridge

TYPE - Plunge

HEIGHT - 60'

WIDTH - 10'

DIRECTIONS - Take HWY 20 east and turn left onto Baker Lake Road. Just after the road crosses over Boulder Creek, turn left onto FR 1130. Follow this road to its end, going right at the first fork and left at the second. Begin hiking the Rainbow Ridge Trail. In about 3 miles you will come to a rocky overlook with an amazing view into the Rainbow Creek Valley. Portal Falls can be seen distantly across the valley.

Portal Falls plunges somewhere around 60' into what appears to be a pretty, although rugged, little amphitheater. The view from Rainbow Ridge is unimpressive, but I suspect from up close this is a pretty nice waterfall. It should be possible to get a close view, but it will require quite a bit of work. The easiest route, relatively speaking, should be to climb down the steep ridge near 22 Goat Lake and reach the falls that way. I haven't done it so I have no idea what sorts of calamities await. You would then, of course, have to climb around 1200' back up to the lake so you would get tired.