Colonial Creek Falls

RATING - 26.0

VR - 4.0 (Sm/M) HR - 11.0 SR - 6/20

TYPE OF APPROACH - Roadside

DIFFICULTY - Very Easy

LOCATION - Ross Lake Area

TYPE - Cascades

HEIGHT - 2600'

WIDTH - 40'

DIRECTIONS - Take HWY 20 east to the Ross Dam Trailhead. Colonial Creek Falls can be seen to the southwest about 5 miles away coming down the face of Colonial Peak. The falls can also be seen from just past the bridge over the Diablo Arm of Ross Lake about 2 miles before the trailhead. There is apparently a climbers' trail that run up along the falls as well.

Colonial Creek Falls is probably the tallest waterfall in the continental USA. That being said, it is only mildly impressive (especially from several miles away). The creek drops somewhere around 2600' in a long series of drops, slides, and cascades. While not a sheer drop like Yosemite Falls in California, it is still notable to have the tallest water in the country so close to home and viewable from the car. I will probably attempt to get an up close view of the falls at some point in the not too distant future and then the rating should rise substantially.