Description

This stunning run to Diamond Creek Falls provides a lovely selection of the very best that the Cascades has to offer. The route begins by meandering beneath a towering canopy of Douglas Fir trees on pine needle-covered trails.

You'll soon pass Too Much Bear Lake and then pop out at the first view point of many above the canyon.

After traversing the rim of the Salt Creek Canyon, the trail turns away from the views as it follows the course of the Diamond Creek tributary toward the waterfalls.

Even here, the trail is a stunning work of art, with dry stacked stone walls covered in moss. Up until this point, most of the trail has been quite mellow, with gradual climbs and descents and no major technical obstacles.

After taking the right turn toward Diamond Creek Falls, the trail gets steeper as it drops into the narrow valley below.

A few staircases aid in your descent and subsequent climb back up, but this section of the route is the trickiest. After crossing a log bridge and following a narrow stretch of singletrack in the bottom of the valley, you'll reach Diamond Creek Falls itself.

This thundering cascade is nowhere near as tall as nearby Salt Creek Falls, but it's impressive and beautiful in its own right.

Since you can easily reach the very bottom of the falls, you can feel the power of the rushing water in your bones. After enjoying the waterfall to the fullest, head back up the short, steep connector trail and then take a right on the main trail.

Then, take a left to keep following the Diamond Creek Loop (don't take the right to Vivian Lake unless you're looking for some bonus miles).

The singletrack leads on to complete a delightful loop through the forest to return you to the trailhead.

The second half of the loop mostly runs deep in the forest, without the views of the first half.