Polk County

Cascade Falls, Wisconsin

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If you live near Minneapolis/St. Paul, Cascade Falls right across the border in Wisconsin is an easy waterfall to visit. It’s found in the city/village of Osceola. When you arrive in Osceola, you park on Cascade Street/Wisconsin-35 near a number of shops and restaurants. Then you head to the trail, which leads you into Wilke Glen and to Cascade Falls.

Cascade Falls is definitely a worthwhile waterfall to visit. It’s big enough and in a beautiful setting to make a point of stopping. The hike does involve some stairs to get you from the street down into the glen, but once you’re down in the glen, you get to see a 25′ tall, rather wide waterfall. It might actually be taller or have more drops, but the way the waterfall turns, it’s hard to see above the main drop.

Once you’ve seen the waterfall, you can keep walking along the trail. It doesn’t lead anywhere wildly exciting, though you can get some cool views of the St. Croix River and the bridge crossing the river which connects Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Directions:

  1. Head toward Osceola, which you can get to from WI-35 or MN-95.
  2. Once you reach Osceola, you can find parking along the main stretch in town, which is WI-35, also called Cascade Street. A landmark that may help is the Watershed Cafe.
  3. Just north of the Watershed Cafe, you’ll find some information signs telling you about Wilke Glen and the falls, and there will be stairs leading downhill. After you finish climbing down the stairs, the waterfall will come into view on the left.

Accessibility: 7/10 (easy/moderate due to the stairs)
Height: 25′
Length of Hike: 0.2 miles round-trip

Cascade Falls in September 2019

Where in the World is Cascade Falls?

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Falls City Falls, Oregon

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I’m a bit behind on posting about waterfalls. Now that work is slowing down again for a break, I have some time to post more information about a few new ones.

In early September, I visited Portland again, which happens to be one of my favorite areas to visit. There are so many waterfalls in the vicinity. I didn’t get a chance to see many new ones…wildfires showed up in the Columbia River Gorge just as I arrived. It made visiting some of the falls rather difficult as time progressed. It also happened to be very warm (upper 90’s F) so I knew some of the other waterfalls might not be flowing very well. It just so happened, though, that I ended up near Falls City, which does have a waterfall associated with it!

Falls City Falls is a quick visit unless you’re planning on doing a bit more. A number of kids were jumping into the pool below the falls, though I’m not sure that’s allowed. Oh well…not my issue to worry about. The falls are pretty easy to find, especially if you end up on the left side of the falls. GPS directed me to the “right” side, which is harder to access, though there is still access available.

I’m not sure that I’d go out of my way to find these falls again…maybe on a cooler day when there weren’t as many people there. It made photographing the falls a bit difficult. It was still nice to add one new waterfall to my list during this visit.

Directions:

  1. In this case, to get to the general vicinity, I would suggest programming Falls City into your GPS or Google Maps (zip code 97344).
  2. If you enter into the city heading west on Main Street (aka Falls City Road), you want to veer left onto Bridge Street and cross over the river. (You can veer right onto Mitchell Street, though access to the falls isn’t as obvious.)
  3. After crossing the bridge, you’ll quickly turn right onto Parry Road. You’ll pass a post office on your left. The parking area for the falls will be on your right not long after.
  4. It’s a very short jaunt to the falls. Be careful, as there is a possible big drop.

Accessibility: 10/10 (easy)
Height: 25′
Length of Hike: Roadside

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Falls City Falls in September 2017

Where in the World is Falls City Falls?

Pearson’s Falls, North Carolina

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I’m back in the North Carolina/South Carolina/Georgia/Tennessee vicinity, and there are so many waterfalls in the area. I wasn’t sure where to start today, but decided to head to Pearson’s Falls first, since it wasn’t an extremely long drive from the Greenville/Spartanburg area.

Pearson’s Falls is a very pretty waterfall. At 90′, it’s impressive, and the Tyron Garden Club has done a very good job of keeping up the trails and park. From the few falls I saw today, it seems as though the water flow is just a bit lower than normal. I’ll see if this continues to be a trend for other waterfalls in the region.

I’m going to comment on one interesting thing I experienced today at the falls…Who knows, someone who reads this might even be one of the people there. When I got to the falls, there were at least six different photographers with their tripods out taking pictures of the falls. I have never seen that many people, so it made me wonder whether there was some regular Sunday morning photography meeting! With that being said, it did create a bit of an odd situation. I really wasn’t sure where to sneak in and take pictures since I didn’t want to get in the way of anybody. A couple walking to the falls arrived after me, and turned around pretty quickly. I still was able to get some good shots, but probably didn’t hang around as long.

Directions:

  1. There are a few different main roads that can lead to the falls, so I’ll describe the one I followed. From I-26 right near the NC/SC border, I was heading north and took exit 67 toward NC-108.
  2. Go through the roundabout and take the exit that heads west along NC-108, and then go through another roundabout to continue heading west. Continue along NC-108 W for a few miles.
  3. Veer right onto Harmon Field Road. After about 2000 ft, turn right onto US-176.
  4. After a few miles along US-176, turn left onto Pearson Falls Road. (While on US-176, you’ll also pass the trailhead for Melrose Falls, which I would have stopped at if I had know it existed!)
  5. Drive along Pearson Falls Road for about a mile to the park entrance. Check Pearson’s Falls website for the most current park hours. There is also an entrance fee, and the hike to the falls is pretty easy once you’ve parked.

Accessibility: 7/10 (easy/moderate)
Height: 90′
Length of Hike: ~0.6 miles round-trip

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Pearson’s Falls in March 2017

Where in the World is Pearson’s Falls?