Otter Falls

RATING - 55.6

VR - 3.6 (Med) HR - 11.0 SR - 16/20

TYPE OF APPROACH - Trail

DIFFICULTY - Medium

LOCATION - Taylor River Trail

TYPE - Horsetail

HEIGHT - 1600'

WIDTH - 75'

DIRECTIONS - Follow the directions to Marten Creek Falls. Continue along the trail for another mile where the trail crosses over the creek coming out of Lipsey Lake. The crossing is notable because the creek runs through a 5 foot pipe under the trail (most of the other creeks run right over the trail). Continue for a short distance until you see a cairn (pile of rocks) to the left and a side trail heading into the woods. Take this trail a few hundred feet to the lake and the base of the falls.

Otter Falls is one of the coolest waterfalls in the state. A seasonal creek drops well over 1000' down the side of a huge cliff face. From the bottom, "only" about 600' worth of falls can be seen but it's enough. Later in the summer the falls run dry so go in Spring or early Summer. Despite being snowmelt fed, Lipsey Lake is actually fairly warm thanks to the sun beating against the cliff face and warming the water as it falls. This warm water makes for a nice little swim to cool down after the 4 mile hike to the falls. I've even seen people using the bottom of the falls as a natural waterslide.