Tin Cup Joe Falls

RATING - 59.2

VR - 5.4 (Med) HR - 8.0 SR - 16/20

TYPE OF APPROACH - Trail + Bushwhack

DIFFICULTY - Very Difficult

LOCATION - Middle Fork Trail

TYPE - Segmented

HEIGHT - 463'

WIDTH - 100'

DIRECTIONS - Follow the directions to Lower Cripple Creek Falls. Find an obscure trail on the right side of the creek. Follow this trail for a little over a mile to the falls. At times the trail becomes very obscure (like it kind of disappears altogether), but if you keep the creek on your right you should run into it again eventually.

Tin Cup Joe Falls is one of the best waterfalls in the Alpine Lakes area and probably all of Northwest Washington. The waterfall occurs where the outflows of several small lakes encounter a massive cliff face in the Middle Fork Valley and plunges over 400' in a complicated mess of falling water. The upper section consists of two separate segments. The left side falls 363' in a series of three tiers. The uppermost tier is a 185' tall, 100' wide curtain of water that is among the most beautiful sections of falling water to be found anywhere. The right segment consists of a 229' tall, s-shaped horsetail followed by a series of cascades. At the bottom, these two streams combine and then plunge 85' in a powerful drop into a boulder lined pool. When the creek is at peak volume, this lower section is also segmented with side-by-side plunges. Add everything up and you have an unbelievable location that everyone should visit if they have the opportunity.