Kitsap Waterfall Survey: Lower Dickerson Creek

NOTICE: All boot paths and social trails down to the bottom of the canyon to access "Elegance" and "Divergent" Falls are officially CLOSED with barriers in place.

This closure was a result of multiple rescues being needed in 2018 from falls and injuries in the steep terrain. I talked with the owners of the Tree Farm last night and they said that they plan to open an official trail to these lower falls sometime over the winter. Access to Dickerson Creek Falls over the bridge is still open. PLEASE heed these signs and warnings and do not attempt to go down to the bottom of the canyon until an official trail is built.

The northeast side of the Blue Hills is drained by several creeks that join together to form Chico Creek, which flows into southwestern Dyes Inlet. One of these creeks is named Dickerson Creek. Dickerson Creek is mostly located on the Ueland Tree Farm, a publicly open area that is harvested for resources such as timber and rocks.

About a mile upstream of its confluence with Chico Creek, Dickerson Creek drops over a pair of waterfalls.

At the first falls, Dickerson Creek encounters a shelf of basaltic bedrock and dives 12 feet into a beautiful plunge pool tucked into a rock alcove. A massive nurse log spans the plunge pool, covered in ferns and huckleberries. At high flows, this waterfall can put out an impressive amount of mist and spray for its size. Due to its great beauty, I call this "Elegance Falls."

"Elegance falls" from the base. 2016. Photo by Micah K. 

Following "Elegance Falls," Dickerson Creek flows around a bend and skips down a series of shallow cascades. While pretty, these cascades do not meet the height requirement to make it to my main list of falls.

About 60-80 feet downstream of "Elegance Falls" Dickerson Creek drops over another rock ledge. This fall, significantly larger than "Elegance;" is split completely in two by a large protruding wedge of rock. One half of the creek drops almost the entire 20 feet in a steep sliding cascade. The other side drops two-thirds of that distance in a series of steep cascades, before leaping over the final eight feet in a small horsetail. Because of its bisected appearance, I have suggested the name "Divergent Falls" for this waterfall.

"Divergent Falls" from a precarious viewpoint on the canyon wall. 2016. Photo by Jonas B. 

After "Divergent Falls" the creek quiets down significantly. It meanders through the rest of the canyon calmly, only punctuated by a couple small three-foot cascades. From there, it flows into the lowlands where it eventually meets up with Chico Creek.

Kitsap Waterfall Survey: "Gold Creek Cascades"

Gold Creek is a tributary of the Tuhuya River, which drains the large, fault-created valley between Gold and Green Mountains in the Blue Hills. The creek begins in a series of small connected lakes and ponds, many of which are formed in part due to the heavy activity of the local beavers, which have created dams in several places. After flowing quietly from these lakes, the creek begins its descent down towards Lake Tahuya.

Within a half-mile of exiting its source, the creek has carved a large canyon through the thick glacial deposits here and into the gabbro and andesite/dacite dikes of the Blue Hills. At the head of this canyon is a small but charming set of cascades roughly 25 feet high, crashing over a series of gabbro outcrops and an andesite dike in eight or so drops; this is "Gold Creek Cascades."

"Gold Creek Cascades" in high water

The cascades are relatively easy to access from the Gold Creek Trailhead. From the trailhead, simply follow the trail towards Gold Creek until it joins an old logging road. Walk along the road for about 10 minutes until you hear audibly rushing water to your left. At this point start looking for a side trail branching off and heading down towards the creek. This trail goes down the steep side of the canyon, dropping down until you come to the base of the cascades.

After the cascades, the creek continues its journey through the canyon towards the lake without encountering another set of cascades like the beginning. However, it does trip over several more outcrops of bedrock, creating some delightful chattering rapids and bouncing drops not more than four or five feet high. Following several of these whitewater features, the creek quiets and meanders peacefully through the forest before emptying into the lake. 

Kitsap Waterfall Survey: "Stephenson Canyon Falls"

Located in the heart of East Bremerton is a small park encompassing a steep-walled defile carved into the glacial deposits and clay layers near the Port Washington Narrows. This is Stephenson Canyon. flowing through this canyon is small but quaint Stephenson Creek, which flows year round. Looking at topographic maps and google terrain imagery. I entertained the idea that somewhere along this canyon there might be a waterfall. I wasn't expecting a titanic 50-60 footer producing a jet like roar, but I entertained the possibility of maybe a small one ten to twenty feet tall or a pretty cascade, and my curiosity drove me on.

Shaded relief map from Google Maps showing the location of Stephenson Canyon in East Bremerton. 

One afternoon I drove down to the canyon, parked at the trailhead and began walking upstream along the creek. The gently rounded boulders and vegetated slopes soon gave way to hard blue clay shelves and carved notches. Once or twice I passed by some very tiny cascades maybe one to two feet high tumbling over more resistant clay outcrops. And soon the clay gave way completely to slippery bedrock, which suddenly rose out of the creek producing a delightful three-foot-tall cascade.

Three Foot Cascade. Photo by Micah Kipple

Pushing on around a couple more bends, the sound of hissing water made me look up, and there leaping off of a small ledge of rounded rock into a green-blue catch basin was a five-foot waterfall. A smile crossed my face as I stepped onto a nearby ledge on the creekside to get a better look. Then I saw the second tier. Almost hidden by a sharp turn in the creek, this tier slid down the shallow face of another basalt ledge another five to six feet, bringing this waterfall's total height to about 10 feet. I was ecstatic, while there were numerous signs I wasn't the first one here. I was still pleased I had found a waterfall, regardless of how small it was (Ok, if it was under four feet it would be pushing it), and smack in the middle of Bremerton no less.

The lower horsetail tier of Stephenson Canyon Falls. Photo by Micah Kipple

While these falls are beautiful, getting to them is somewhat of a chore, and they aren't as pretty as they could be. I'm going to make an effort to pick up trash while I'm there in the park, and I need to find a way to put this on the City of Bremerton's radar so maybe there can be an official volunteer effort to clear the area around the falls. That would be very nice indeed and would make this a destination to keep going back to.

A close up of the lower tier. Photo by Micah Kipple.

Both tiers of the falls. Photo by Micah Kipple.