Bulson Creek Falls

RATING - 26.4

VR - 3.6 (Sm/M) HR - 4.0 SR - 12/20

TYPE OF APPROACH - Trail

DIFFICULTY - Easy

LOCATION - Lake McMurray Area

TYPE - Plunge

HEIGHT - 54'

WIDTH - 10'

GPS - N48 20.676 W122 18.152

ELEVATION - 298'

DIRECTIONS - Take I-5 to the Lake McMurray Exit just south of Mt. Vernon. Head east for around 1 mile and turn left onto Bulson Road. The road will turn to the right twice and eventually end. Park at the end of the pavement and walk south along the new road being built. Keep your eyes to the right and you should spot the trail heading off at an angle (look for pink ribbons). Follow it for 1/5 of a mile to the falls.

Bulson Creek Falls is one of the closest falls to I-5 that I know of at about a mile as the trumpeter swan flies (there are thousands of swans in the immediate area during the winter). If you can catch this falls at a high water level, it is very impressive, dropping 54' over a sandstone ledge before flowing through a beautiful little gorge. There are a good number of houses around the falls, but they can't really be seen from the creek so it doesn't detract from the experience at all. At lower volume the falls lose much of their gusto but remain pretty. It's possible the creek runs dry late in the summer but I doubt it.

Someone has been doing some trail maintenance so that what was once an obscure, brushy, difficult-to-follow trail is now quite nice and obvious. It's a little tricky to find the start of the trail and it's a little muddy in places but overall it's a pleasant experience. There is a lot of construction going on in the area with new houses and roads being built so I wouldn't be too surprised if we eventually lose access to the falls, which is a shame.