Top 10 Baker Waterfalls

This is our list of the top 10 waterfalls around Mt. Baker. This list is bound to change as we visit new and exciting falls, but here is the current top 10:

1. Mazama Falls - The best waterfall, thus far, in the Mt. Baker area is Mazama Falls. This waterfalls occurs where Wells Creek drops a total of about 500' in seven tiers. The largest of these tiers is around 125' tall by itself. Add the great height of this waterfall to the large volume of Wells Creek and you have a world-class waterfall. While it can be seen from the road at a distance of about 3 miles, it can only be truly appreciated from up close. Unfortunately, this can only be done via a very long, very difficult bushwhack from Wells Creek Falls or an even longer, but easier bushwhack from Chain Lakes.
2. Lava Divide Falls - So far, Lava Divide Falls is the tallest waterfall in the Mt. Baker area, dropping nearly 1000' in a series of drops. Though unnamed, the creek where this waterfall occurs is very large, tumbling down the side of Park Creek Valley. The bottom section alone would make this Top 10 list, but when you add an additional 500' of waterfall above that, this is one of the best. The bushwhack to the base is difficult, but less than a mile each way. In addition, the route takes you through some amazing old growth forest with some truly huge trees.
3. Warm Creek Falls - This is the tallest, single-drop waterfall thus far in the Baker area. The waterfall occurs where two branches of Warm Creek drop about 500' over a massive cliff face in side-by-side waterfalls, joining at the bottom. An extremely difficult 2 mile bushwhack is required to view the waterfall, but it is certainly worth the effort, even on a cold, windy autumn day such as I experienced on my trip into the falls.
4. Clearwater Falls - Clearwater Creek drops over 400' down the side of the cliffs around Grouse Point. This massive waterfall consists of six separate tiers. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to reach the waterfall and once you get there, the entire waterfall cannot be seen from any one spot. Even with these detractions, Clearwater Falls is among the greatest in the area.
5. Deadhorse Falls - Deadhorse Creek storms into a rugged, steeply-walled canyon via this 400' tall waterfall. The uppermost tier plunges nearly 300' by itself in a deeply incised crack in the rock wall. Below there, the creek continues to tumble down a series of smaller tiers before finally exiting the canyon. The trip into the falls is fairly difficult, but it is short and can be quite enjoyable when the creek is running lower. At higher volume, the creek fords become a little scary.
6. Deharo Falls - Deharo Falls is probably the largest of several waterfalls on Wallace Creek in the Middle Fork Nooksack Valley. Here Wallace Creek plunges around 100' before turning and cascading for another 100' down a narrow canyon filled with loose boulders, logs, root balls, and any other sort of natural debris you can think of. The trip into the waterfall is long and difficult, but at the end, the weary traveler realizes they are seeing a sight that few have ever seen before.
7. Nooksack Falls - This is the most famous waterfall in the area. The waterfall occurs where the North Fork of the Nooksack River encounters a semi-circular cliff face and plunges 88' in three separate segments. The huge volume of the river and easy access make this a must-see while visiting the area.
8. Bald Mountain Falls - This waterfall, or more appropriately these waterfalls, occur where two forks of this creek drop over side-by-side waterfalls no more than 100' away from each other. The left side of the waterfall is the higher volume of the two, dropping around 250' in four separate tiers. The right side drops a total of about 175' in three tiers. After combining at the bottom, the creek has one last hurrah, dropping over a 35' tall lower falls.
9. Boulder Creek Falls - This waterfall occurs where a fork of Boulder Creek drops a total of around 200' in a series of drops. The uppermost tier plunges about 80' in a massive wall of water. Below there, the creek drops over several more tiers before running through a narrow canyon no more than 5' wide. As it empties out of this canyon, the creek sheets out and plunges a final 20', joining another fork of Boulder Creek at the bottom.
10. Middle Sholes Creek Falls - There are a number of gorgeous waterfalls around Baker in the 80-150' tall range, but this is my personal favorite. Sholes Creek launches out of a narrow crack in a gorgeous cliff face and plunges about 85'. Immediately across from the waterfall, a second waterfall occurs an the unnamed creek dropping down from Lasiocarpa Ridge. The trip to the waterfall is difficult, but the waterfall is gorgeous and the canyon itself is amazing. One also gets the feeling that very few people have been into the area, so there is a real feeling of discovery.