Waterfall Record

This is a portion of a waterfall with a rainbow.

The Waterfall Record

Crooked Creek Falls, Alaska

This is the lower portion of Crooked Creek Falls near Valdez, Alaska. This portion is about 20 feet or 6 meters tall.
The lower portion of Crooked Creek Falls in August 2014
This is the upper portion of Crooked Creek Falls near Valdez, Alaska. This portion is about 150 feet or 46 meters tall.
The larger view of Crooked Creek Falls (dropping precipitously)

Quick Facts

Accessibility: 10/10 (easy)
Height: 150′ / 46 m
Length of Hike: roadside

The Record

Crooked Creek Falls in Valdez is one of those waterfalls that isn’t advertised very well. Online searches show some information about the waterfall (that it exists), but not much other information is provided. As I was driving into Valdez, I noticed a small cascade by the Crooked Creek Information Center for the Chugach National Forest.

The portion that you can get close to is 20′ tall or so, though I could tell that some of the waterfall was hidden behind the trees. Later, as I was exploring Valdez, I noticed that there was a much taller waterfall off in the distance. It was very foggy the day that I visited, so this waterfall could only be viewed when the cloud layers had cleared, but there was definitely a large waterfall, and its location would coincide with Crooked Creek. Looking at a topographic map, the creek drops around 1200′, which is quite impressive. The portion of the falls visible in most photos I have is around 150′. If you’re headed to Valdez, look for the tall waterfall that you might not expect!

Directions

  1. There aren’t many ways to enter Valdez. You could fly, drive, or take a boat, but even then, it’s limited. If driving, you pretty much enter the city via AK-4.
  2. Along AK-4, there’s an information center for Crooked Creek in the Chugach National Forest. It’s on your right if driving into Valdez. The smaller view of the waterfall is roadside near the information center.
  3. I viewed the bigger drop from Valdez itself, looking northeast.

Where in the World is Crooked Creek Falls?

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