Suiattle Falls
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| | Raps:15, max ↨200ft
Red Tape:No permit required Shuttle:None Vehicle:Passenger | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Condition Reports: | 9 May 2026
"Great day in Suiattle Falls. No one in our group had run it before and we all thought it was a beautiful canyon. Kudos to the exploration team. Added |
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| Best season: | Apr-Jun
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48.3734, -121.5109
48.3684, -121.5072
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Weather forecast
Waterflow
Introduction
There's not many canyoning routes like this in Washington. Back-to-back rappels on a sunny South-facing aspect. A ~50m free-hanging drop, a long slab rappel, and a narrow aquatic slot section which can be spicy in high flow. Despite lacking jumps/slides/swims this canyon makes up for it in beauty and uniqueness.
The pay-to-play ratio is very low with a forest road approach and a near-immediate exit.
Approach
Access is via forestry roads (sadly no public vehicle access). The area is actively logged, so the presence and condition of the roads may differ from what maps show.
From the parking spot where the creek flows under the road, walk down the road about 10 minutes to the trailhead at a small pull out (48.3632, -121.5108) on the west side of the road. Take the trail into the forest and go immediately left and follow it 2 to 3 minutes to the logging road in an expansive clear cut zone.
As of 2026, there's two good approaches, both marked on the map. The shorter, more direct route, heads right on the forestry road and climbs immediately. Past a couple of switchbacks, gaining almost 600 feet in elevation. After a left switchback go over two small berms. Continue up to the 1400' level and a massive berm and tree debris where the road starts to go down. Just before the massive berm, make a sharp right and go up a steep old road bed and gain 100'. Switchback left and gain another 100'. Head right and hike up to a small scree field at the edge of the upper road.
The longer, but more mellow, route heads north (and slightly downhill) along the valley for 3km. It then climbs over a further 3km and turns into the upper road. It's entirely on-road and has excellent views towards Whitehorse mountain & Glacier peak.
From the point the approaches rejoin walk uphill for about 10 minutes. At a left switchback keeping going straight through a thicket of small tress to a clear abandoned road. Take the road a short distance to where it ends above the creek. Scramble down 30 feet to the creek. You will be just above the first rappel.
Descent
A 200 foot rappel rope gets the job done. A 250' rope will allow you to do the Slab rappel in one pitch and allow you to get off the Falls rappel lower down and avoid the handline hike to the next anchor. All tree anchors have rope anchors and should last a long time.
R1 30' from bolts DCR
R2 45' from tree DCL. There is a small slide at bottom
R3 60' from bolts DCR at the hanging pothole. Be careful of foot entrapment in the narrow slot towards the bottom
R4: SLAB SEQUENCE MULTI-PITCH
R4a 30' access rappel from Tree DCR
R4b 65' from Bolts DCR
R4c 175' from Tree DCL
R5: SUIATTLE FALLS
R5a Tree DCR: 30' access rappel
R5b Bolts DCR: 200' then use the fat miner's rope handline to go down to the next anchor
R6 95' from Tree DCR
R7 95' from Bolts DCR
R8 80' from Tree DCR
R9 50' from Bolts in middle of creek
R10 50' from Bolts DCL
R11 60' from Tree DCR
R12 60' from Bolts in middle of creek. Be mindful of the undercut/constriction about 10' down from the anchor.
R13 15' from Tree DCR
R14 40' from Tree DCL or downclimb
R15 25' from Tree DCL
R16 150' from Tree DCR or downclimb on left through ferns
Exit
500 foot creek walk to the road. Recommend exiting on creek left at the road. DCR had wasp nests.
Red tape
Beta sites
https://www.waterfallsnorthwest.com/waterfall/Suiattle-Falls-22571
https://aaronswaterfallworld.tripod.com/suiattlefalls.htm
Trip reports and media
Scouting video, June 2024
Background
From waterfallsnortwest.com:
Suiattle Falls is an immensely tall chain of plunges, horsetails, and cascades along an unnamed stream which drains from the southwest portion of Suiattle Mountain north of Darrington. The total height of the falls is difficult to determine because the stream is heavily incised into a narrow ravine, but topographic data supports the idea that the entire chain drops around 800 feet. The largest individual section of the falls is fortunately the most accessible - a 294 foot drop which begins as an airy free-falling plunge that impacts on a ledge and then slides down a narrow chute with a second nearly-vertical plunge out of sight below.
More of the falls can be seen collectively from across the Suiattle River valley along Forest Road, but due to the narrow confines of the ravine which the falls descent, it may be impossible to determine the true scale of the entire waterfall without either technical climbing experience, or the use of a drone-mounted camera. The small drainage basin and resultant low streamflow may also make it harder to survey the entire falls in the future.\
Views of the 294-foot portion of the falls are obtained via a user-constructed trail which climbs ridiculously steeply up along side the ravine harboring the falls. At some points scrambling on all fours is advised, and around the base of the falls the slopes are steep and potentially deadly in places. Visitors are advised to be quite cautious here, understanding that this is still effectively a bushwhack destination which has just seen some improvement to its route.