Kitsap Waterfall Survey: "Lower Lost Creek Cascades"

Well over a year since I've last surveyed a waterfall on the Kitsap Peninsula, this was a nice return to form. Several months ago, a friend of mine mentioned to me the existence of a small cascading type waterfall on Lost Creek within publicly accessible land. With me being busy at CWU, it was put on the back burner at the time. Not anymore, This past weekend (2/4/2018) I joined my friend, his son, and their dog and set out to document and photograph this cascade with my own eyes.

Our waterfalling dog companion, Delilah.

A half-mile after it's opening fanfare, Lost Creek encounters another outcrop of Siletzia bedrock which underlies much of the Kitsap Peninsula. The canyon walls and creek bed become lined with a gorgeous blue-green-gray basaltic rock. After tripping over a small rapid in the shadow of a massive fir stump, the creek flows around a bend and slides over a ten-foot drop into a beautifully secluded alcove with a surprisingly deep plunge pool.

The initial 10-foot drop of "Lower Lost Creek Cascades" 

Immediately after this drop, the creek narrows from 10 feet wide to less than 3 feet and careens through a narrow slot cut into the rock, dropping an additional 4 feet in the process. The force of the water tearing through this slot has drilled large circular potholes into the bedrock, making interesting shapes and formations.

Lost Creek tearing through the small defile, with several large potholes in the foreground

Immediately after the main slot, the creek funnels through another bottleneck in the rock in a slide 3 feet high slamming into a jutting rock, taking a 90-degree turn to the left and bouncing over a couple small drops, before leaping over a messy 5-foot rock face. This final drop ends in a rocky alcove similar to the large one upstream. Shortly downstream, "Lower Lost Creek Cascades" terminates in a final small 3-foot slide, bringing the total height to ~25 feet.

The bedrock lining the creekbed. 

The geology of the canyon here is both fascinating and stunning. The underlying grey-blue gabbro rock sets the tone, peppered with red-brown pieces of basalt, and cut with white veins of quartz and calcite. In quieter pools and gravel bars, occasional light colored granite clasts can be found from the overlying glacial debris mantling the entire peninsula. At least at one spot within the cascade, I found evidence for faulting and the intrusion of volcanic andesite dikes 50 million years ago. I plan to write posts on both those geologic stories in the near future.

Kitsap Waterfall Survey: Upper Dickerson Creek.

Thus far, I have written about four of Dickerson Creek's waterfalls: "Elegance," "Divergence," "Dickerson Creek", and "Beaver Dam Lake Falls." Finally, I'm crossing off the final two waterfalls. Both are located on upper Dickerson Creek before it enters Beaver Dam Lake.

Dickerson Creek spawns in a marshy lake in southwestern Ueland Tree Farm. There are several lakes like this on the farm, resting in valleys gouged out by the glaciers that covered the Kitsap Peninsula 17,000 years ago. After it exits the lake, the first half-mile of Dickerson Creek is calm, flowing through the dense second-growth forest. This quiescence is cut short as the creek encounters the first rock layer on its tumultuous journey to Chico Creek.

"Cedar Gorge Falls" The first waterfall on Dickerson Creek. Photo by Micah K.

What the first waterfall on Dickerson Creek lacks in height, it makes up for in character. Here the creek intersects a basalt ledge and dives ten feet into a shaded, dark pool carved into the head of a steep-sided gorge. Several young cedar trees overhang this pool, adding to the shaded environment. For the presence of these trees and the overall location of this fall, I have named it "Cedar Gorge Falls."

"Upper Dickerson Falls" upper tier. Photo by Micah K. 

Flowing for another 60-70 feet and around a slight corner, the creek exits the gorge and drops over another, more striking fall. This is "Upper Dickerson Falls" This waterfall is composed of two tiers totaling about 30 feet in height. The first tier begins as a shallow cascade hissing over orange-red colored basalt which rapidly steepens into a final slide into a shallow basin. In low to medium water levels, only a small portion of the basalt face has water flowing over it, but I imagine in the height of winter or after a heavy rain, the entire shelf is one roaring mass of violent whitewater.

Between the two tiers is a section of level creekbed with a bottom of rounded stones. These stones range in composition from the basalt of the falls to pink-tan granites transported onto the Kitsap Peninsula from the northern cascades by the ice-age glaciers.

The second tier would be as gorgeous as the first, if it weren't for the two massive logs that have fallen across it, effectively blocking half from view. Despite this eyesore, the color of the bedrock is a mesmerizing dark blue-purple. At the base of the falls is another large piece of bedrock checkerboarded red and blue with white mineral veins crisscrossing the surface. Not only is this one of the most visually pleasing falls in the county, but it's also one of the best geologic outcrops Kitsap has to offer too.

"Upper Dickerson Creek Falls" bottom tier, Photo by Micah K.

Kitsap Waterfall Survey: Changing scenery at "Heins Creek Falls"

The upper tier of "Heins Creek Falls" with scale.
Photo by Micah K. 

On Sunday 10/30/2016 I visited one of my favorite falls in the area, "Heins Creek Falls" and was delighted to find that the recent rains have reinvigorated the creek and the falls were roaring with jubilee.

Everything about the first tier appeared to be in order, so I moved down to the second tier, which I haven't seen up close since the last time I first discovered the falls over a year and a half ago. What I found surprised me greatly.

If you read my original write up about this falls, you will find that I describe the second drop of this falls as slipping through a large logjam which is damming up the creek before it plunges 20 feet into a crevice. Well....things have changed a little bit.

When I arrived at the second tier, it had changed it's appearance drastically. The logjam has apparently settled even more since my last visit, and is beginning to block water flow from above. As a result, nearly half the volume of the creek is now plunging over the cliff over 30 feet from where it originally was. A swath of hillside that used to be covered in ferns, leaves, and soil is now bare basalt with roaring whitewater tumbling over it. The resulting display is absolutely spectacular.

The second tier of "Heins Creek Falls." Photo by Micah K. 

Kitsap Waterfall Survey: "Claire Falls"

There are multiple places in Washington State where a very respectable and sometimes spectacular waterfall is nearly eclipsed by an even bigger one nearby. It just so happens that there is one of these situations in Kitsap County. It turns out, "Tin Mine Falls" has a much smaller sibling.

During the wet times of the year (fall/winter/spring), small ponds and rain runoff give rise to a quaint little brook along the mountainside between Tin Mine Creek and a smaller tributary to the west. This tiny stream, nearly imperceptible on topographic maps and imagery, babbles through the forest, running generally northeast, straight towards Tin Mine Creek's canyon. Just downstream of "Tin Mine Falls," the brook intersects the near-vertical basalt canyon wall of and promptly dives over it. The resulting 40+ foot ribbon-like waterfall is startlingly beautiful, and would be commanding the attention of everything around it if it wasn't dwarfed by its colossal neighbor.

The lower section of "Claire Falls" as it's namesake looks on. Photo by Micah K. 

It is likely that this fall runs dry by July or August, but when it is flowing, it is a beautiful sight indeed, and so I have it included in my survey. After I first saw it in January 2015, I was trying to think of a name for it for months. One day a good friend of mine visited, and I took her to see "Tin Mine Falls." While she enjoyed "Tin Mine Falls" immensely, she also took an extreme liking to this little ephemeral fall. Because of this, I decided to name the fall after her.  

Kitsap Waterfall Survey: "Wright Creek Cascades"

When I first investigated Wright Creek on the western outskirts of Bremerton and surveyed "Wright Creek Falls," I immediately realized that the creek probably had more to offer as it bounced its way down to Sinclair Inlet. I have since visited "Wright Creek Falls" multiple times, and each time got me more and more frustrated at the difficult access downstream of the falls, which appeared to have steep slopes and thick brush. I finally decided that the best way to survey downstream was going to be walking down the stream itself.

I was really hoping that the search would be relatively straight forward, just walk down the creek until I hit a cascade or waterfall. I should have known better. For the next three hours I was in the creek as often as I was out of it. Being out of the creek involved fighting foot-for-foot through Devil's Club, Salmonberry, Swordfern, Salal, and Evergreen Huckleberry. Being in the creek resulted in teeth chattering temperatures, slippery rocks, and hidden pools in the creek which at some points almost sent me up to my waist.

A small unnamed cascade on Wright Creek. Photo by Micah K. 

After passing a few small rapids and interesting little cascades, shin deep in the chilly water, my frustration was mounting. I finally came to a sharp bend in the creek, and as I stepped around it I was immediately met with the thundering roar of crashing water.

"Wright Creek Cascades," Photo by Micah Kipple.
Unfortunately there is a serious foreshortening of the cascades in this photo so they appear smaller than they are in actuality. 

1,100 feet downstream of "Wright Creek Falls," Wright Creek narrows and rockets through a small basalt gorge, this gorge is occupied by "Wright Creek Cascades." The cascades begin immediately after the creek is dammed up behind a small logjam. Composed of three main drops, the cascades total about ten feet in height. Below the cascade the creek appears to calm down, with only one more section of rapids before continuing down towards the Inlet.

Kitsap Waterfall Survey: "Heins Creek Cascades"

Heins Creek in the southeastern portion of the Ueland Tree Farm  has already revealed a major waterfall: "Heins Creek Falls", which crashes over 50 feet just before entering Heins Lake. But I have long suspected the creek has more in store as it winds its way down from the Blue Hills.

Some of the reddish basaltic bedrock in the streamed. Photo by Micah K. 

Just under a half mile upstream of "Heins Creek Falls," Heins Creek encounters another layer of basalt bedrock. While the resulting cascades are not nearly as spectacular as its larger cousin downstream, they're still respectable, set in a beautiful green setting and bouncing off of colorful rocks. Here the creek trips over a long series of drops over the course of about 100 feet, similar to the layout of "Gold Creek Cascades" on the other side of the Hills. The total height of this cascade is about 25 feet, well above the ten foot requirement for my survey. It should be noted that this point in the creek may experience times of very low flow during summer months.

The uppermost section of "Heins Creek Cascades," Photo by Micah Kipple. 

Kitsap Waterfall Survey: "Beaver Dam Lake Falls"

It's been almost a year since I've surveyed any portion of Dickerson Creek in the Ueland Tree Farm. The lower portion of this creek has three major waterfalls after it exits Beaver Dam Lake; these have been described here and here.

However, Dickerson Creek doesn't start at Beaver Dam Lake, it's source is much further south in another small unnamed lake higher in the hills near the southwestern boundary of the tree farm. Using Google Earth software I determined that the creek most likely has two falls or cascades between its headwaters and Beaver Dam Lake. On Christmas day I confirmed one of these.

The lower tier of "Beaver Dam Lake Falls." Photo by Micah K. 

Shortly before entering Beaver Dam Lake, Dickerson Creek crosses an old logging road. Just north of this road, the creek drops 22 feet in 3 steps over a basalt formation, creating a beautiful tiered cascading waterfall. 

Kitsap Waterfall Survey: "Kerplunk Falls"

This fall was surveyed a while ago. But I had never written a post about it, so I have decided to fix that.

Lost Creek is one of the largest creeks flowing out of the Blue Hills. It comes down off the eastern slopes of Green Mountain and flows east until it joins with Wildcat Creek to form Chico Creek, which is has one of the best salmon runs on the Kitsap Peninsula. I had long suspected Lost Creek to have a fall somewhere along it's upper reaches, assuming it was a permanent stream. I made the 2 mile hike around Green Mountain to where an old logging road crosses the incipient creek.

Starting upstream, I almost immediately entered into a deep basalt gorge lined with old pillow lava, through which Lost Creek flowed. I scrambled and fought my way up the gorge, becoming rapidly frustrated with the lack of vertically falling water. Finally, probably about 300 or so feet up the canyon, I found a fall, sort of.

"Kerplunk Falls" 

As the creek takes a sharp righthand bend, it has become dammed up with a rather impressive logjam immediately over a small 10 foot basalt ledge. After filtering through the logjam, the creek plunges straight down over the drop, landing in a shallow alcove and continuing along its way. When I first observed this fall, the appearance of the logjam reminded me of the child's game Kerplunk and so I have tentatively named this small waterfall "Kerplunk Falls"

I suspect this canyon has more to offer above "Kerplunk," however at the time of the survey, I was too exhausted to continue further up the canyon, I scrambled up to the rim and began walking back down towards the road. As I walked down the slope along the rim, I noticed numerous signs of bear frequenting the area, A reminder that this is bear country.

Kitsap Waterfall Survey: "Contact Cascades"-My 20th waterfall!

Following my lecture at the Norm Dicks Government Building in Bremerton, one of the audience members came to me and told me of a waterfall on the Beaver Pond Trail within the Green Mountain State Forest. Their description seemed to indicate something small, but they insisted it was over bedrock, and so I decided to investigate.

As the wind howled through the trees and branches of various sizes fell all around, I hiked up the side of Green Mountain until I reached the Beaver Pond Trail. Within a few hundred feet, the trail crosses over Grata Creek, a stream running down the northwest side of Green Mountain. Grata Creek has long been on my radar, as it drops rather rapidly from high up on the mountain slopes before emptying into Tahuya Lake.

Lidar imagery map of Grata Creek. 

Even with these suspicions, I realized that most of the creek was bounded by private property, and so any falls and cascades would be inaccessible to me. Grata Creek originates on a spring fed lake tucked at the head of a forested valley at about 950 feet. The creek flows from this lake and bypasses another lake. It is after this second lake the creek steepens significantly and the private property begins. This is is the only place I thought falls would occur. I was wrong

Shortly after exiting its source lake Grata Creek meanders through some open pine forest, then less than a quarter mile later, it passes underneath the Beaver Pond Trail bridge, and immediately skips over a series of wonderful cascades over 20 feet in height, right next to the trail and very easily visible.

Bridge over Grata Creek

On my survey I was only able to observe 4 tiers in detail, there may be one or two below these, but I was unable (and really, unwilling) to fight through the thick brush to see them, so they will have to wait for a later visit. Of the tiers I did observe:

 The cascade begins with a five foot sliding drop over some beautifully dark volcanic rock called  Gabbro.

First tier "Contact Cascades" 

The second tier is a little more complex; two-thirds of the creek pours into a deep crack in the bedrock, while the remaining portion slides gradually down the rock. Here some interesting geology is seen. On the north side of the stream the bedrock is composed of the Gabbro the first tier goes over, but on the south side of the stream the rock is Basalt, which upon close observation, has even formed into small disorganized six-sided columns. In geology, the term used for where two different rock types meet is called a "contact." Thus, since this cascade appears to occur on a contact, I have named it "Contact Cascade."

Second tier of "Contact Cascades" 

The third tier is a small little three footer choked with forest debris and relatively ugly, the 4th tier is a long sliding cascade probably five or six feet high. After this the creek appears to go over at least one more drop, but heavy brush prevented me from getting an up close look.

Thanks to the person who suggested this fall to me. It is a great contribution to the survey!

One final thing to note, "Contact Cascade" is my 20th surveyed waterfall! Hard to believe I've made it this far after starting this project a year ago. Who knows, maybe I'll find 20 more!

Kitsap Waterfall Survey: "Downfall Creek"

"Downfall Creek" is the working name I have for the small creek that drops off the southwest side of Gold Mountain in the Blue Hills before emptying into Mission Lake. The creek is broken up into two main sections: The dividing line between these sections is a logging road located several hundred feet up the side of Gold Moutain which crosses the creek at an elevation of about 930 feet. Or 360 vertical feet above Mission Lake.

The lower section of the creek, which drops from the above-mentioned logging road down to Mission Lake, is probably permanent; during extremely dry seasons it may run dry, but based on the appearance of the canyon and the stream, it flows to some degree year round. Here the creek has incised a deep canyon has it flows down the hillside. In places this canyon is over 90 feet deep. The walls are covered in forest debris and thick stands of brush, making travel arduous and tricky.

Above the logging road, the creek forks into two smaller segments, it is unlikely that either of these are permanent. Despite this, there are reports of a 15' tall cascade somewhere along this section, at least when water is flowing.

My hiking partner and I surveyed the Lower Section of the creek on November 18. We started up the old logging road that headed into the clearcut, then cut cross-country and went into the canyon. Within moments of entering the canyon, we stumbled across a small, cascade, which almost didn't warrant a second glance from me. Then when my partner stood next to it. It became apparent the cascade just barely met the height requirement for my survey if you combined the two tiers, which were about 15 feet apart. The upper tier is a four foot plunge, while the lower tier is a six foot cascade twisting through a blocky chunk of basalt bedrock. For it's twisting appearance, I named this cascade "Corkscrew Cascade."

"Corkscrew Cascade" 

Moving up the creek, thick brush and extremely steep slopes forced us to cross the creek and scramble up to the rim of the canyon where we were assaulted by waist high brush and and unstable ground. Moving cautiously, we crested a rise, and my friend called out to me, pointing upstream. Looking towards where he was pointing, suddenly I saw it. Above us, and several hundred feet away, a streak of whitewater could be seen pouring over a rock face, disappearing from view into the canyon. We rapidly made our way to the fall, and scored.

Almost exactly halfway up the canyon, "Downfall Creek" drops over a 56 foot tiered waterfall. The fall begins with a six foot slide, where the creek gathers momentum before it rockets over a fifteen foot plunge into a narrow alcove which houses a shallow small plunge pool. Immediately following this plunge, the creek continues to cascade at least another 30-40 feet down to the bottom of the canyon below.

Looking over the brink of "Midway Falls" 

Continuing up the canyon, we travelled along the rim, having crossed the creek a second time. Several hundred feet above "Midway Falls," We viewed another waterfall. This fall is probably comparable in size to "Midway" but due to the amount of deadfall and debris impairing views of the creek and the falls it was hard to tell. I did observe one tier that appeared to be about 10-15 feet, high, and then a long series of steep cascades below that. Since I only viewed this fall from a distance and have not been able to accurately observe it up close it remains confirmed, but not surveyed on my digital map.

"Midway Falls" With hiking partner Spencer. 

Kitsap Waterfall Survey: "Heins Creek Falls" Revisit, November 15, 2015

Today I had the pleasure of leading two reporters from the Kitsap Sun newspaper to "Heins Creek Falls." A story by the Kitsap Sun is out to precede my lecture on Thursday.

The day started out almost perfect: overcast skies with almost no wind and a comfortable temperature. I had high hopes as I went through my classes of the day at OC. Unfortunately, Washington had other plans. As soon as I stepped foot outside the building of my last class the sky opened up, and continued raining for the majority of the day. At 2pm I was scheduled to meet up with the reporting team; they arrived right on schedule.

Not wasting any time, we trudged up to the railroad tracks and started toward our destination. We passed by Kitsap Creek, and peered up at "White Train Falls" through the trees; the water was tinted a slight tan color and roared through the canyon. With that much water I doubted I would ever be able to make it up to the fall the way I did before.

"Heins Creek Falls" at high water/flood stage

Finally, after what seemed like a long while of trudging through the ceaseless rainfall, we rounded the bend and the roar of a swollen Heins Creek came to meet us. Scrambling up the sopping almost unrecognizable path to the main tier, my excitement grew exponentially as more and more of the falls came into view; it was absolutely torrential.


Heins Creek was probably two feet higher than normal water level in some places. The main 20 foot tier, which normally is a graceful segmented sliding cascade, was a careening mass of foaming whitewater crashing down the basalt face. In some places, the water hit jutting outcrops of basalt with enough force to create small but powerful rooster tails. When the creek encountered the massive logjam, instead of draining through it, the astounding amount of water was forcing the creek to flow over the logs, plunging down into the large alcove. The final 10 foot cascading section was still recognizable, but a lot more violent as well.

As well as being extremely excited myself, I was pleased to look over and see the reporters with smiles etched on their faces. One remarked "I never knew something like this even existed in Kitsap, this is amazing." Watching waterfalls alone is one thing, but seeing people's reactions to their first sight of them sometimes is even better.

Video of the Falls. 

Waterfall Lecture, Thursday 11/19

To all readers and anyone who is interested. I will be giving a lecture on the Kitsap Waterfall Survey on Thursday, November 19, in the Norm Dicks Government building in downtown Bremerton. The lecture will be from 1:30-3pm You can sign up using this link! Seats could go fast!

Waterfall Wednesday: Bechler of the Yellowstone, Part One.

Every hobby has a beginning, and my joy of waterfalling is no exception. I have been chasing after falls across western washington for about a year and a quarter now, and it's fun to look back on where it all began.

In June of 2014 as I was beginning my second season working in Yellowstone National Park, a good friend of mine who was also working in the park came up with an idea. An avid waterfall hunter, he begged me and two other friends to accompany him to a remote section of the park called the Bechler region. He wanted to go see and photograph three massive world class waterfalls there. After looking at work schedules and long term weather forecasts, we decided that we would go on August 5.

The day of departure dawned with the sound of pouring rain, our group realized it was probably a foreboding sign of what was to come. We hopped in the car anyway and drove three hours to the trailhead, with one or two "minor" delays. The trailhead itself is located deep in the countryside, Twelve miles down a winding worn out dirt road that squeezes between the boundaries of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, and nearly hidden at the bottom of a old dam.

First starting down the trail it was dry, and actually seemed somewhat pleasant, we eagerly moved forward, hoping to make it to our first waterfall goal of the trip with little hassle. Two miles later, just as we were taking our boots off for the river ford the trail crosses, the sky opened. A deluge of rain drenched us within minutes, and continued for the next hour or so as we began the climb up to a plateau. Finally, just as we were at the point to step off the trail, it let up. Wading through knee high brush in a gorgeous open forest of lodgepole pine, we made our way down towards the canyon which housed our prize. Eventually, a dull rumbling thunder reached our ears, and shortly after, we burst out of the trees onto the rim of a spectacular rhyolite canyon. At our feet, Slamming downward in six consecutive steps totalling 140 feet, was one of the largest, most powerful waterfalls in the Western United States. Terraced Falls.

140 ft Terraced Falls. Note the author and companion on the canyon rim to the left.
Photo by Ryan Maurer, Under A Rock Photography. 

Kitsap Waterfall Survey: Upper Wildcat Creek

Wildcat Creek is one of Kitsap County's largest salmon streams, producing healthy runs of Chum and Coho salmon each year. Being one of Chico creek's largest tributaries, it has naturally been on my radar for some time.

Upper 5' section of "Bobcat Cascade"

Wildcat Creek is born in the same natural saddle that houses Tin Mine Lake; drained to the west by Tin Mine Creek. After flowing out of the saddle, even after heavy rains, Wildcat Creek is small, being only 3-5 feet wide at most and less than a foot deep. It meanders through the forested valley for less than a mile before it is crossed by Rock Quarry Road, and several hundred feet later, Wildcat Trail.

100-200 feet after the trail bridge, Wildcat creek encounters the basalt formations that make up the core of the Blue Hills. The creek drops over the first layer in a rather unimpressive two tiered cascade with respective drops of 5 and 10 feet. For the small size of this cascade, and for it's location on Wildcat Creek, I named it "Bobcat Cascade."

Somewhat disappointed at the size of the cascade, I forced myself to continue following the small creek, passing several more cascades to small to be included in the survey. Convinced that the creek had more to offer, I pushed downstream, crawling over logs, traversing steep slopes, and hoping there was another cascade or fall further down. Sure enough, I rounded a corner and the sound of hissing water echoed throughout the canyon.

After another several dozen feet, I found myself standing on the brink of a very steep, multi-tiered cascade, crashing down a rugged face of black basalt. Scrambling down alongside the fall, I carefully took notes of the different drops and their heights, here's what the results were:

Looking up the largest cascading drop of "Cougar Falls" 

The falls consists of 3 main sections, all within about 150 feet of stream length.

The first section consists of a one foot, two foot, and four foot drop.
The second section is that largest, with a fifteen foot steep cascading drop.

The third section is a seven foot shallow cascade over basaltic rock with a striking orange-red color, bringing the total height of this fall to thirty-five feet.

Third bottom section of "Cougar Falls" note the tawny color of the rocks. 

This orange color, which shows up in other parts of the basalt gorge the creek runs through; reminded me of the color of a Cougar, and thus, keeping in the theme of Wildcats, I named this fall, "Cougar Falls"

Kitsap Waterfall Survey: Making breakthroughs and finding traction.

This week two large things happened involving the Kitsap Waterfall Survey that I felt the need to write about. The first being that three of the waterfalls on Dickerson Creek have made it onto the Northwest Waterfall Survey  and the World Waterfall Database. While obviously not standing in the spotlight out of the thousands of falls logged in those sites, just seeing Kitsap County on the map gives me a profound sense of accomplishment. And part of the whole reason that this survey was started was to help "fill in the blank" that was Kitsap County, so I guess you can say that was a success. The man in charge of the Pacific Northwest Waterfall Survey has also told me "Tin Mine Falls" is on the cue to be added to the two databases as well. How exciting!!!

Largest Tier of "Tin Mine Falls," on Tin Mine Creek.
Photo by Micah K. 

The second item of the week is a discovery of mine that can help move this survey along incredibly. It is a fish habitat report for the entirety of the Kitsap Peninsula, included in this report are detailed maps of different sections of Kitsap County, these maps show streams, rivermiles, logjams, beaver dams, manmade dams, and most importantly; Cascades and Waterfalls!. I was not expecting the sheer goldmine this report was. Not only has it marked these water features, but it has also color coded the cascades and waterfalls that are impassable to fish, allowing me to pinpoint where I want to investigate. Now as exciting as this find is, I am almost certain more than half of these "impassable cascades" could be ephemeral, small streams or possibly even dry watercourses that would be nowhere close to meeting the criteria of my survey. Still this is an amazing jump pad to future investigations, and should be a huge help in my continuing search for waterfalls in Kitsap.

Kitsap Waterfall Survey: "Heins Creek Falls"

About one mile to the southwest of "White Train Falls," Heins creek plunges over the edge of the same drop off into the valley below in a spectacular 50 foot tiered waterfall. The fall has five tiers, which will be described as one moves downstream from the top of the fall.

The first four foot sliding drop of "Heins Creek Falls." Photo by Micah K. 

After tumbling through a lush shallow canyon, Heins creek begins its final fantastic descent with a four foot slide over a basalt shelf into a small shallow pool. After this pool, the creek immediately drops 20 feet into another plunge pool as a sliding cascade, then bounces another five feet in another slide before pooling against an incredible logjam which appears to have dammed the creek up to a depth of three to four feet.

Sliding Cascade tier Photo by Micah K.

After slipping through this logjam, the creek dives over the most striking tier tucked in a narrow alcove of basalt. The main volume of the creek horsetails over a 20 foot basalt face, while a smaller segment nosedives 10 feet into a deep cleft in the rock in a semi-hidden plunge, and then plunges another 6 feet as it exits the cleft. Following this tier the creek takes a slight bend to the left, and fans out in a final 10 foot cascade, before flowing down to Heins Lake.

The best tier of "Heins Creek Falls"
Photo by Micah K.

The final tier of "Heins Creek Falls"
Photo by Micah K. 

Kitsap Waterfall Survey: "White Train Falls"

Kitsap Creek originates from a small lake high up on the forested plateau owned by the Ueland Tree Farm, west of Kitsap Lake. The southeast side of this plateau is a large sudden drop off into a valley. At the edge of the plateau where the creek flows across this drop off, it has incised a impressive, nearly impenetrable gorge into the hillside through which it crashes in a cacophony of hissing water. At the head of this gorge, where the creek hurls itself into it, is "White Train Falls."

Upper two tiers of "White Train Falls," Kitsap Creek, Kitsap County, WA.
Photo by Micah K. 

"White Train Falls" consists of 3 main tiers and maybe more. The waterfall begins where it drops over two 5 foot steps, immediately slides over the edge of a basalt headwall, and horsetails 20 feet into a small plunge pool. Immediately after this pool, the creek takes a slight left turn and crashes chaotically down another drop of about 20 feet. Finally, after briefly resting in a pool created by a small logjam, the creek takes a final leap of about 10 feet as a beautiful twisting horsetail. Below the falls, the bedrock ends and the creek continues cascading over loose boulders until it passes below a railroad line.

The lower 10ft tier of "White Train Falls," Kitsap Creek, Kitsap County, WA.
Photo by Micah K. 

Kitsap Waterfall Survey: "Kitsap Lake Cascades,"

The other day while looking through fish habitat reports for Kitsap County, I stumbled across a reference for a "cascade" occurring just after the outflow from Kitsap Lake. This surprised me, as I thought the terrain immediately surrounding the lake was too flat to produce any sizeable water features, turns out anything can happen in the Puget Lowlands. Since Kitsap Lake was on the way to somewhere I had to go after classes, I decided to drive by and take a look. I parked the car at the spot and walked to the edge of the creek, almost immediately I was met with the roar of crashing water reaching out of the small gorge towards me. I began down a small social trail, and this is what I found:

Upper Tier of "Kitsap Cascades," Photo by Micah K. 

Almost immediately after exiting Kitsap Lake, Kitsap Creek has incised a small gorge in the glacial deposits all the way down to the bedrock . After flowing under the road, the creek begins a series of sliding tumbles over several basalt shelves totaling approximately ten feet high, barely making the survey's height requirement. This cascade takes the appearance of a smaller more stretched out version of "Gold Creek Falls". The most striking portion of the falls are the two main drops. The upper drop, which is also the most visible, slides about three to four feet just before a sharp turn in the creek, then about 40 feet further downstream, the creek crashes over another drop five to six feet high. This is where the most significant portion of the cascade ends, although tiny one to two foot drops occur for the next 50 feet or so until the creek finally calms down and continues its journey to link up with Chico Creek.

Kitsap Waterfall Survey: Tin Mine Creek

 Tin Mine Creek begins on the upper northern slopes of Green Mountain in the Blue Hills. The upper portion has yet to be surveyed, but topographic and shaded relief maps indicate that there could be cascades and possibly falls along its course, as it falls 300 feet in .6 miles.

"Logroll Cascades," Tin Mine Creek, photo by Micah K. 

           
After flowing into Tin Mine Lake, the creek chatters through a relatively open forest for several hundred feet before it trips over a protrusion of basalt , cascading about eight feet. When first seen, this feature was rather ugly: choked with forest debris. But because it was easy to scramble around it, my hiking partner and I cleared out most of the debris, revealing that despite its size the cascade was quite photogenic.  For the amount of logs that the we rolled out of the cascade, we named it “Logroll Cascade”

Middle two tiers of "Tin Mine Falls"
Tin Mine Creek, photo by Micah K. 

Following “Logroll Cascade,” Tin Mine Creek takes a sharp right turn and begins a series of ever steepening cascades. Here the creek has carved a 15 foot high gorge. Several hundred feet after the beginning of these cascades, the canyon opens into a large alcove, and the creek dives over the first tier of "Tin Mine Falls"

"Tin Mine Falls" has five separate drops, or tiers.The first  plunges into the above-mentioned alcove in a beautiful 15 foot horsetail. 30 feet downstream the creek tumbles over the second tier: a small 6 foot cascade into a small, deep pool. Exiting this pool the creek immediately goes over the third tier and horsetails ten feet down another basalt face, then plunges vertically another five into a large crevice in the basalt bedrock. Upon exiting this crevice, the creek slides through a small chute and careens over the fourth tier in a 30 foot horsetail; Halfway down this horsetail the creek ricochets off the canyon wall before reaching the bottom. After flowing for another 50 feet or so, the creek goes over the final fifteen foot horsetail.  All these tiers added together puts Tin Mine Falls in the 80 foot range, easily the tallest waterfall in the entire survey thus far. 

"Echo Falls," Tin Mine Creek, photo by Micah K. 

About 500 feet downstream of “Tin Mine Falls,” after flowing rather quietly for a period, Tin Mine Creek drops over a large basalt shelf in another fifteen-foot waterfall This fall’s shape is one of the more unique I have observed in Kitsap County; about a third of the volume of the creek plunges straight over the edge of the rock face in a straight free fall to the plunge pool. The other two thirds of the creek tumbles over a steep jagged face in a sliding cascade. A shallow natural amphitheater surrounds this fall, which amplifies the low bass tone of the roaring water. For this effect, I named the fall “Echo Falls.”

          
Following “Echo Falls,” Tin Mine Creek gently meanders through the forest until joining with a small tributary and flowing into the lowlands and emptying into Tahuya Lake.

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.