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jm31828
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PostMon Apr 28, 2014 8:17 am 
This is a question similar to one another poster asked about easy sunrise spots. My situation is a bit different, in that we have a baby and so the wife and I cannot go too far from home right now and can't do any real hiking as we usually would do. I, however, don't want to completely give up on my landscape photography, so my question is- anyone know of any easy spots within 1 hour or less of Bothell where I could get off the road and get some good shots of waterfalls/rapids at any time of day, or some dramatic landscapes at sunset? My only real fix has been running over to the Edmonds waterfront at sunset but I'd like to get out more into the wild for these other kinds of shots if any good spots exist that don't require a hike. The less time consuming the better for the wife and baby. smile.gif It's amazing how in the 4 years I have lived here we have gotten familiar with lots of great photography spots that are further out than that, or that require decent hikes, but I am drawing a blank for thinking of many easy spots to get to outside of the city where hiking isn't required!

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Schroder
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PostMon Apr 28, 2014 8:35 am 
On Highway 2 - Sunset Falls & Eagle Falls near Index, Alpine Falls past Skykomish & Deception Creek Falls near Scenic. You also get a good view of Bridal Veil Falls out of Lake Serene from the highway. Granite Falls Robe Canyon & Lime Kiln trails for easy hikes to rapids. Twin Falls & Franklin Falls on I-90 and of course Snoqualmie Falls Here's a place you can get more ideas: http://www.waterfallsnorthwest.com/nws/

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Sore Feet
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PostMon Apr 28, 2014 7:05 pm 
Schroder wrote:
On Highway 2 - Sunset Falls & Eagle Falls near Index, Alpine Falls past Skykomish & Deception Creek Falls near Scenic.
Eagle Falls for sure, but Sunset Falls is accessed via private property and the landowners in the area have asked that the public keep out of there because they have to pay for road maintenance themselves (unless you have permission to go in at least). Most of the other waterfalls in that kind of range of Bothell are going to require a bit of hiking to reach. There are a few waterfalls around Verlot that are pretty easy to access - the lowermost falls on Twentytwo Creek is only about 1/3 mile up from the parking lot, and then there are the three smaller falls along the Old Monte Cristo Grade Road that are accessed via the bridge at 342nd Drive NE: First Falls, Heather Creek Falls, and Triple Creek Falls. There are several spots along the Skykomish between Gold Bar and Index which offer some pretty decent views of Mount Index that are easy to access. Not a whole lot in the way of rapids in the area, but there are some. There's also a spot along the Index-Galena Road right along the North Fork that offers good views of Index and Persis. Also, don't count out Snoqualmie Falls either - with the trail to the bottom being open again there are some better opportunities there, especially at sunset.

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jm31828
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PostTue Apr 29, 2014 6:35 am 
Thanks for the information! First Falls is really intriguing me- I really am into doing smaller waterfall photography where I can play with the movement of the water up close, but was used to doing at least 2-3 mile hikes to get some of them- this would be great to have one that we can get to without a real hike due to the current limitations.

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jm31828
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PostTue Apr 29, 2014 9:54 am 
Sore Feet wrote:
There are a few waterfalls around Verlot that are pretty easy to access - the lowermost falls on Twentytwo Creek is only about 1/3 mile up from the parking lot, and then there are the three smaller falls along the Old Monte Cristo Grade Road that are accessed via the bridge at 342nd Drive NE: First Falls, Heather Creek Falls, and Triple Creek Falls.
Have you personally been to those falls on the Monte Cristo Grade Road? I'm curious to check them out soon, but wondering how good of a view you can get of them- especially First Falls- and if those are spots that get frequented by a lot of people or if they are seemingly forgotten back there. Thanks again for the info!

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Sore Feet
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PostTue Apr 29, 2014 8:56 pm 
That's my website I linked to, been to all of them numerous times. First Falls is right next to the road, but you have to scramble up the rock a bit to get some obnoxious trees and branches out of the frame. The middle and upper falls on Triple Creek are easy to get to from the informal trail there - no more than 5 minutes of walking - the lower falls requires a bit more brush bashing and isn't all that photogenic anyway. Heather Creek is a bit trickier, may involve getting your feet wet, and will involve a bit of a bushwhack / scramble, but it's still only a couple hundred feet from the road. I don't think they get frequented by many people at all, but they're easy to access and they're mentioned in Greg Plumb's "Waterfall Lover's Guide to the Pacific Northwest" (which you should get if you don't have it - just be aware that some of his directions are outdated), so they're definitely see a greater-than-zero number of visitors.

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jm31828
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PostThu May 01, 2014 7:31 am 
Sore Feet wrote:
That's my website I linked to, been to all of them numerous times. First Falls is right next to the road, but you have to scramble up the rock a bit to get some obnoxious trees and branches out of the frame. The middle and upper falls on Triple Creek are easy to get to from the informal trail there - no more than 5 minutes of walking - the lower falls requires a bit more brush bashing and isn't all that photogenic anyway. Heather Creek is a bit trickier, may involve getting your feet wet, and will involve a bit of a bushwhack / scramble, but it's still only a couple hundred feet from the road. I don't think they get frequented by many people at all, but they're easy to access and they're mentioned in Greg Plumb's "Waterfall Lover's Guide to the Pacific Northwest" (which you should get if you don't have it - just be aware that some of his directions are outdated), so they're definitely see a greater-than-zero number of visitors.
Thanks for the information! And I must add you did a great job on the website- it's one I have used over the past few years to hike to different waterfalls. I think I'll be checking out First Falls and maybe the upper falls at Triple Creek in the very near future. I may actually try to check out Mossy Rock Falls as well, since it's close to the beginning of the trail, not too far of a walk. Thanks again to everyone for the responses!

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jm31828
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PostTue May 13, 2014 8:55 am 
One more question- are the falls you mentioned above- especially First Falls and Triple Creek Falls- on Forest Service land, requiring the NW Forest Pass?

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Sore Feet
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PostTue May 13, 2014 10:09 pm 
First Falls, Heather Falls and Triple Creek Falls do not require any sort of pass (you don't always need a pass if it's on NF land; only if it's signed as requiring a pass - so basically only developed trailheads). If you go to the falls along the Lake 22 trail, you will need a NW Forest Pass or a America the Beautiful Pass (the nationwide National Park / Nationarl Forest pass).

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PostFri Nov 14, 2014 5:43 pm 
Driving along the Mt Loop has plenty of places to pull over and shoot the rapids. A friend and I spent a day just driving around and stopping where we wanted to take pictures. Just went around the entire loop and drove home. Don't count out Whatcom Falls too. It is up in Bellingham and takes about an hour to get there from Everett, but there are a few nice falls and it is a great place to wonder around.

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