Swayel Falls

RATING - 25.2

VR - 3.6 (Sm/M) HR - 2.0 SR - 18/20

TYPE OF APPROACH - Bushwhack

DIFFICULTY - Medium

LOCATION - Newhalem Area

TYPE - Tiered

HEIGHT - 34'

WIDTH - 10'

DIRECTIONS - Drive east along Highway 20 and turn left onto Thornton Creek Road about 3 miles before reaching Newhalem. About 1/2 a mile before the trailhead you will cross over Sky Creek and a small waterfall on the left. Park at a pullout just past the creek and walk back down the road a few hundred feet. Hop into the woods and scramble downhill for a few hundred feet. Upper Swayel Falls is just down from the road and this one is right below there. You'll have to climb down another steep hill, but if you made it to the base of the upper falls, this one should be no problem.

This gorgeous waterfall is located on Sky Creek a short distance downstream from the upper falls. The falls begin with a pretty 25' tall curtain, followed almost immediately by a nice 20' plunge. Finally, there is another 10' tall horsetail below there to finish off the official waterfall. The area around the waterfall is unbelievably green and mossy. The best view of the falls is from the massive tree across the creek. Unfortunately, it's difficult to set a tripod up there to take pictures and if you fall off . . . "Swayel" is a Nooksack Indian word meaning "sky".

Located downstream are several other small drops and the creek below here is stunning. An alternate route to the falls is to follow the creek upstream from the road's first crossing of the creek. This is longer, but a little safer and probably worth it for photographers.