#16 Dry Creek/ PCT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Dry Creek Falls is accessed via the Pacific Crest Trail out of Cascade Locks.  Often Dry Creek falls doesn’t have any signs because the locals seem to enjoy removing any signs indicating the side-trail to the waterfall.  Dry Creek Falls never actually runs dry, but the creek would “dry-up” in old times because the water was re-routed to become Cascade Locks’ town water supply.  At the waterfall you’ll see the remains of these formerly-used diversion works.

 

The PCT crossing underneath I-84 immediately after the start

 

Turn left onto the PCT to head to Dry Creek falls

 

A rare grown-over PCT sign on the trail

     Ater a couple of miles on the PCT, you’ll arrive at a bridged crossing of Dry Creek. Instead of crossing the bridge, you instead want to go up the road next to Dry Creek for a few hundred yards to the semi-hidden waterfall.

PCT bridge over Dry Creek, downstream of the waterfall

 

Dry Creek falls pouring from a slot between huge basalt walls

 

Dry Creek falls

    This is some of the diversion works at Dry Creek falls that once robbed the lower creek of its flow:

Dry Creek diversion works

       After a view of Dry Creek falls you can walk another 1.6 miles east on the PCT if you want to see the so-called “Herman Pinnacles”.  Some folks think these humps of basalt are really interesting.  I don’t, but you’ll have to go see and then leave a comment here afterwards.

Herman Pinnacles