Sulphide Creek Falls
Sulphide Creek Falls is a waterfall in Washington, at a modelled elevation of 906 m. Mount Baker stands 3,287 m to the west, 11 miles off. The nearest named place is Seahpo Peak, a peak 1.9 miles away. JCT SR 5 VIC BELLINGHAM TO AUSTIN PASS VIC MT BAKER passes 5.6 miles off.
The story
Sulphide Creek Falls is a tall, moderately large volume waterfall within North Cascades National Park in Washington state that is one of the tallest waterfalls in North America. The falls drop from Sulphide Lake (elevation 3,800 ft (1,200 m)) on the southeast side of Mount Shuksan down a narrow flume-like canyon to a broad basin below. Because of the narrow, twisting shape of the canyon the waterfall is exceptionally difficult to see from ground-level perspectives. The total vertical drop of the waterfall is in the range of 2,100 feet (640 m) to 2,200 feet (670 m) feet, but it has not yet been accurately measured. Foot access to the bottom of the waterfall involves 2.5 miles (4.0 km) of off-trail travel in extremely brushy terrain and several potentially dangerous fords of a large stream.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q37249, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
How to reach it
- 5.6 mi off the JCT SR 5 VIC BELLINGHAM TO AUSTIN PASS VIC MT BAKER
- 15.9 mi off the JCT KEYSTONE FERRY ZONE WHIDBEY ISLAND TO JCT SR 153 VIC TWISP
- 15.9 mi off the Cascade Loop, National
- 26.7 mi off the JCT SR 542 VIC KENDALL TO JCT SR 9 AT CANADIAN BORDER
Overlooks nearby
- Artist Point · 6 mi
- Nooksack Falls Viewpoint · 13 mi
- Viewpoint Dam · 19 mi
- Diablo Lake Overlook · 23 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Seahpo Peak: 1.9 mi
- The Hourglass: 2.4 mi
- Mount Shuksan: 2.6 mi
- Nooksack Tower: 2.7 mi
- Fisher Chimney: 3.4 mi
- Rainbow Falls: 5.0 mi
- Lower Morovitz Falls: 5.3 mi
- Upper Morovitz Falls: 5.4 mi
- Berdeen Falls: 7.7 mi
- Goat Falls: 7.8 mi
- Trillium Conservation Area: 16.7 mi
- Diobsud Creek Barbien/Jordan Conservation Easement: 16.9 mi
- Diobsud Creek Abel Conservation Area: 17.8 mi
- Liumchen Ecological Reserve: 20.0 mi
- Douglas Island Convservation Area: 20.1 mi
- Vogler Lake Public Access: 18.0 mi
- Lake Shannon Recreation Area: 18.1 mi
- Garden Club Park: 19.4 mi
- Upper Skagit Garden Park: 19.4 mi
- Veterans Memorial Park: 19.5 mi
- Winnies Slide: 2.9 mi
- Park Cliffs: 9.4 mi
- Roman Wall: 11.4 mi
- Lee Promontory: 13.1 mi
- The Palisades: 14.7 mi
- Austin Pass Picnic Area: 6.3 mi
- Shuksan Picnic Area: 9.1 mi
- Mount Baker Vista: 15.0 mi
- Shadow of the Sentinels: 11.0 mi
- "Old Number 6" Seattle City Light Locomotive: 17.3 mi
- Temple of Power: 17.3 mi
- Lumberjack Mural: 19.5 mi
- Gorge Powerhouse Visitor Gallery: 17.5 mi
- Skagit Aero Education Museum: 20.3 mi
- Baker Hot Springs: 5.1 mi
- North Cascading: 16.9 mi
- Angele Cupples Community Garden: 19.8 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 12.7 miles of Sulphide Creek Falls. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Baker | W 262° | 3,287 m | 11.0 mi |
| Lahar Lookout | W 261° | 3,069 m | 11.0 mi |
| Sherman Peak | W 259° | 3,020 m | 11.0 mi |
| Colfax Peak | W 261° | 2,851 m | 12.3 mi |
| Mount Shuksan | NNW 332° | 2,784 m | 2.6 mi |
| Nooksack Tower | N 350° | 2,530 m | 2.7 mi |
| Mount Challenger | ENE 76° | 2,501 m | 11.0 mi |
| Crooked Thumb Peak | E 79° | 2,476 m | 10.9 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:10 | 18:38 | 19:19 |
| June solstice | 05:04 | 20:24 | 21:14 |
| September equinox | 06:54 | 18:24 | 19:06 |
| December solstice | 08:58 | 16:18 | 17:13 |
Local time (America/Vancouver).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: May–Sep.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 33 | 36 | 40 | 46 | 53 | 57 | 63 | 63 | 58 | 48 | 39 | 34 |
| Precip in | 15.3 | 8.8 | 10.4 | 6.7 | 4.5 | 3.3 | 1.8 | 1.9 | 4.8 | 10.5 | 16.0 | 14.1 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Upper Baker DAM, 11 mi away.
Months at or above the year’s average flow: May–Jul, Oct–Nov — fullest in May, leanest in Aug.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean cfs | 569 | 477 | 506 | 673 | 1,309 | 1,293 | 918 | 471 | 494 | 751 | 1,000 | 543 |
USGS monthly mean discharge at gauge Baker River AB Blum Creek Near Concrete, WA, 3 mi away — the nearest gauge, which can sit on a different stream.
Inside the official boundary of North Cascades National Park. Quietest months by visitation: Dec and Mar; busiest: Jul.
NPS visitation statistics, monthly averages 2021–2025 (2020 excluded).
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidataOpenStreetMap element node/7921205343
Day trips start here
- Mount Baker · 11 mi
Take the scenic way to Sulphide Creek Falls.
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