Waterfall Record

This is a portion of a waterfall with a rainbow.

The Waterfall Record

Falls Creek Falls, Alaska

Falls Creek Falls is a large cascade that tumbles 3000 feet down a mountain. Only small portions of the waterfall can be viewed at any time. This one is about 15 to 20 feet tall and is split in half by a large rock with trees growing out of it!

Quick Facts

Accessibility: 10/10 (easy)
Height: Cascades are around 15′ / 5 m
Length of Hike: Roadside (or 5.4 miles / 8.7 km round-trip)

The Record

In some locations, like Alaska, there are so many streams and creeks flowing down mountains. Because of the sheer number of possible waterfalls, I find they’re not always widely mentioned. Falls Creek Falls is an example. The parking area for the trail is directly off the Seward Highway south of Anchorage (in Chugach State Park).

Any time I see “falls” in a name, I’m contractually obligated to pull into the parking area, if possible. On the way back from Homer, I noticed the sign for Falls Creek and its trail. I don’t know if I realized until recently that this might be one gigantic cascade. The creek seems to start at 3000′ of elevation. The trail climbs that 3000′ over a distance of 2.7 miles. I’m not a big fan of what I know will be steep hikes, so I didn’t hike the whole distance. A short hike over a distance of 500′ or so allows you to see some beautiful portions of the cascade (usually in the range of 15-20′ tall), but they’re not the large plunges that usually get advertised.

Directions

  1. You’ll be driving along the Seward Highway, and inside the Chugach State Park boundaries, there is a small pull-off for the Falls Creek trail. There’s room for 4 to 5 cars. The sign is more obvious when heading north, as the pull-off is on the right.

Where in the World is Falls Creek Falls?

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