Gold Mountain Falls

RATING - 32.0

VR - 3.6 (Sm/M) HR - 5.0 SR - 14/20

TYPE OF APPROACH - Bushwhack

DIFFICULTY - Medium

LOCATION - Old Mountain Loop Highway

TYPE - Tiered

HEIGHT - 100'

WIDTH - 10'

GPS - N48 13.461' W121 33.485'

ELEVATION - 945'

DIRECTIONS - Follow the directions to Lower Gold Mountain Falls. This waterfall is located a short distance upstream. It's not horribly difficult to get partial views of the various parts of the waterfall, but the views are always blocked by some trees and shrubbery.

Gold Mountain Falls is a tall, but difficult to see, multi-tiered waterfall on the east side of the Sauk River. The falls begin with the pretty 20' tall plunge seen on the left. From there the creek drops down a 35' tall bow-tie shaped drop that is difficult to see without some trees blocking the view. A 10' plunge follows immediately below that and the waterfall finishes with a 35' tall cascade (see Additional Pictures below). Below that, the creek runs through a really pretty set of mossy boulder cascades that would make some great pictures with the right lighting.

The way the creek zigzags down the hillside and the encroaching brush make it very difficult to see falls. In fact, the photo at the left was taken while sitting atop a 3' wide ledge with an 80' drop right behind me. I wouldn't recommend climbing up the steep hillside for the fleeting glimpses you get of this waterfall, but it's certainly worth the effort to get to Upper Gold Mountain Falls just a bit upstream.