Hard Scrabble Falls
Marked no entry. Do not count on getting in.
Hard Scrabble Falls is a waterfall in Washington, at a modelled elevation of 222 m. Colfax Peak stands 2,851 m to the east, 18 miles off. The nearest named place is Standard, a ghost town 1.7 miles away. JCT SR 530 VIC ARLINGTON TO CANADIAN BORDER passes 1.2 miles off.
The story
valley in Whatcom County, Washington, United States of America
Wikidata Q49809025, matched on coordinates and name (427 m apart).
What the record says
- Height
- 85.3 m
How to reach it
- 1.2 mi off the JCT SR 530 VIC ARLINGTON TO CANADIAN BORDER
- 4.1 mi off the JCT SR 5 VIC BELLINGHAM TO AUSTIN PASS VIC MT BAKER
- 11.6 mi off the JCT SR 5 VIC BURLINGTON TO JCT SR 5 VIC BELLINGHAM
- 11.6 mi off the JCT SR 542 VIC KENDALL TO JCT SR 9 AT CANADIAN BORDER
Overlooks nearby
- Madrone Crest Viewpoint · 12 mi
- Inspiration Point · 13 mi
- Burnout knob · 13 mi
- Samish Overlook · 14 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Stewart Mountain: 1.8 mi
- Bigfoot Hill Northeast Peak: 2.2 mi
- Bigfoot Hill: 2.3 mi
- Slash: 2.9 mi
- Blue Mountain: 6.0 mi
- Josh VanderYacht Park: 2.7 mi
- Deming Homestead Eagle Park: 4.8 mi
- Sofield Park: 5.2 mi
- Nugent's Corner River Access: 6.3 mi
- Gordon Carter Conservation Site: 6.7 mi
- Olsen Creek State Forest: 4.3 mi
- Stimpson Family Nature Reserve: 7.0 mi
- Toad Lake: 7.9 mi
- Peters Street Trail: 8.6 mi
- Big Rock Park: 8.7 mi
- Nooksack Totem Pole: 4.5 mi
- Homespun Kinetic Art: 4.7 mi
- Evolution: 8.2 mi
- Scorpion: 8.2 mi
- Huff and Puff: 8.4 mi
- Historic Galbraith Barn Ruins: 3.9 mi
- American Legion Tribute Memorial to Saxon cemetery veterans: 5.4 mi
- Softball Hall of Fame: 10.4 mi
- Whatcom County Veterans Memorial: 10.6 mi
- Bernard Swinehart Safe: 10.8 mi
- Lake Whatcom Steam Railway: 7.8 mi
- Lightcatcher: 11.4 mi
- Spark Museum of Electrical Invention: 11.4 mi
- Old City Hall: 11.5 mi
- Whatcom Museum at Old City Hall: 11.5 mi
- I-5 Sloth "Slothy": 11.0 mi
- Stoney Ridge Farm: 12.1 mi
- Samson Estates Winery: 12.6 mi
- Dan Cramer's Western Town: 14.3 mi
- Sedro Woolley Rodeo Grounds: 17.0 mi
- Anderson Falls: 3.7 mi
- Silver Creek Falls: 8.5 mi
- Whirlpool Falls: 9.1 mi
- Racehorse Falls: 9.5 mi
- Chuckanut Falls: 11.8 mi
- York Community Farm: 10.8 mi
- WeGrow Garden: 11.1 mi
- Cornwall Rose Garden: 11.4 mi
- Garden: 11.6 mi
- Rose Garden: 11.7 mi
- Public Access Beach: 7.6 mi
- Cornwall Beach: 11.9 mi
- Squalicum Beach: 13.0 mi
- Dogfish beach south: 14.1 mi
- dogfish beach: 14.1 mi
- The Palisades: 16.0 mi
- Lee Promontory: 17.1 mi
- Roman Wall: 18.5 mi
- Devils Slide: 20.4 mi
- Park Cliffs: 20.5 mi
- Bow Hill Southbound Rest Area: 13.2 mi
- Bow Hill Northbound Rest Area: 13.4 mi
- Custer Northbound Rest Area: 20.6 mi
- Custer Southbound Rest Area: 22.2 mi
- Group Picnic Area: 14.1 mi
- Mount Baker Vista: 15.2 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 17.6 miles of Hard Scrabble Falls. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colfax Peak | E 87° | 2,851 m | 17.6 mi |
| Lincoln Peak | E 88° | 2,695 m | 16.9 mi |
| Seward Peak | E 90° | 2,385 m | 16.8 mi |
| South Twin | ESE 109° | 2,123 m | 11.7 mi |
| North Twin | ESE 106° | 2,024 m | 11.0 mi |
| Skookum Peak | ESE 110° | 2,018 m | 11.9 mi |
| Little Sister | ESE 112° | 2,012 m | 12.4 mi |
| Jaw's Tooth | ESE 110° | 1,981 m | 11.9 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:12 | 18:40 | 19:22 |
| June solstice | 05:07 | 20:27 | 21:16 |
| September equinox | 06:56 | 18:27 | 19:09 |
| December solstice | 08:00 | 15:20 | 16:16 |
Local time (America/Los_Angeles).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Apr–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 41 | 42 | 46 | 51 | 56 | 60 | 64 | 64 | 59 | 52 | 46 | 41 |
| Precip in | 4.6 | 3.1 | 3.4 | 2.8 | 2.3 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 2.0 | 3.9 | 5.7 | 4.5 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Bellingham 3 SSW, 13 mi away.
Months at or above the year’s average flow: Nov–Apr — fullest in Jan, leanest in Aug.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean cfs | 20.4 | 14.1 | 13.7 | 10.5 | 5.3 | 3.2 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 5.5 | 20.4 | 16.6 |
USGS monthly mean discharge at gauge Olsen Creek Near Bellingham, WA, 6 mi away — the nearest gauge, which can sit on a different stream.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapOpenStreetMap element node/4380291170
Day trips start here
- Northwest Washington · 9 mi
- Bellingham · 12 mi
- Sumas · 16 mi
- Edison · 17 mi
- Lynden · 17 mi
- Ferndale · 18 mi
Take the scenic way.
Byway plans around your taste, verified places, real weather and opening hours — then opens every leg in Google Maps with one tap.