Nooksack Falls near the Mt. Baker Highway, Mt. Baker National Forest, Washington

(Accidentally) Visiting Nooksack Falls

Nooksack Falls, Mt. Baker National Forest, Washington
Nooksack Falls

We wanted a place to eat lunch.  Really, that’s all we were looking for.  A convenient dirt side road appeared as we drove along the Mt. Baker Highway, so we took it, figuring we could, at the very least, pull over in the pines and make sandwiches (not to mention get the homemade jelly out of the cooler – yum!)  That’s how we stumbled into the parking area for Nooksack Falls.  After lunch we couldn’t very well just leave, so we took the short trail to see the falls.

Quick Stats

Round Trip Length: 0.3 miles Trail Type: Out & back Elevation Change: 262ft. Fees: $5/day/vehicle

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Now that instills confidence...actually, it's a lot safer than many waterfalls I've visited. These are the signs at the beginning of the trail. Nooksack Falls, Mt. Baker National Forest, Washington
Now that instills confidence…actually, it’s a lot safer than many waterfalls I’ve visited. These are the signs at the beginning of the trail.

In all, I think the “walk” was about 0.3 miles, so it’s not a difficult trail. However, it can be difficult to get a good view of the falls, not only because it’s just plain difficult, but because it’s fairly popular with the locals, so there was a crowd in the small viewing area.

Near the top of Nooksack Falls. The trail doesn't necessarily go this way, but a path does, so I followed it after enjoying the falls from the viewing area. Mt. Baker National Forest, Washington
Near the top of Nooksack Falls. The trail doesn’t necessarily go this way, but a path does, so I followed it after enjoying the falls from the viewing area.

The trail begins next to the sign board (which is very interesting, by the way) across the road from the parking area.  The trail itself is pretty self-explanatory, so enjoy the pictures!

Above the falls - again, the trail doesn't necessarily go here, but a path does, so we made a loop of it. Nooksack Falls, Mt. Baker National Forest, Washington
Above the falls – again, the trail doesn’t necessarily go here, but a path does, so we made a loop of it.
Looking downriver from near Nooksack Falls, Mt. Baker National Forest, Washington
Looking downriver from near the falls
A composite picture I put together of Nooksack Falls, Mt. Baker National Forest, Washington
A composite picture I put together of the falls

Overall?  It’s probably worth a side trip off the Mt. Baker Highway to see.  But only if you have the time or are looking for easy trails.

Round Trip Trail Length: 0.3 miles

Highest Elevation: 1,708 ft.

Lowest Elevation: 1,446 ft.

Net Elevation Change: 262 ft.

Facilities: None

Fees: $5 per day per vehicle…

Trail ★★★☆☆

Road ★★★☆☆

Signs ★★★☆☆

Scenery ★★★☆☆

Would I go 100 miles out of my way for this? ★★☆☆☆

Overall Rating: ★★★☆☆

A sign at the beginning of the trail is very informative about the hydroelectric plant that used to be on the site. Nooksack Falls, Mt. Baker National Forest, Washington.
A sign at the beginning of the trail is very informative about the hydroelectric plant that used to be on the site.

Key GPS Coordinates

Parking: 48.90561N / -121.80898W (48° 54′ 20.196″ / -121° 48′ 32.328″) (1,446ft.)

Trail beginning: 48.90577N / -121.80904W (48° 54′ 20.7714″ / -121° 48′ 32.5434″) (1,708ft.) (ended 0.2 or 0.3)

Viewing area: 48.90538N / -121.80920W (48° 54′ 19.368″ / -121° 48′ 33.12″) (1,677ft.)

Brink View: 48.90549N / -121.80878W (48° 54′ 19.764″ / -121° 48′ 31.6074″) (1,536ft.)

The gpx file for the Nooksack Falls Trail can be downloaded – please note that this and the GPS Coordinates are for reference only and should not be used as a sole resource when hiking this trail.

Nooksack Falls GPX File size: 9.0 KB Downloaded 492 times

(Note: I do my best to ensure that all downloads, the webpage, etc. are virus-free and accurate; however, I cannot be held responsible for any damage that might result, including but not limited to loss of data, damages to hardware, harm to users, from use of files, information, etc. from this website.  Thanks!)

One side of Nooksack Falls, Mt. Baker National Forest, Washington
One side of the falls

Getting to the Parking Area

From the Glacier, WA ranger station, drive 7.0 miles east on WA-542 (Mt. Baker Highway).  Turn right onto NF-33 (dirt road) following the signs for Noioksack Falls (If there isn’t a sign, don’t worry).  Continue 0.5 miles to the parking area, on left.  The trail begins on the right.


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A visual map of the Nooksack Falls Trail - see all those crazy lines? That's the viewing area. Up is north. Mt. Baker National Forest, Washington
A visual map of the Nooksack Falls Trail – see all those crazy lines? That’s the viewing area. Up is north.

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For more hikes in the Mt. Baker area – as well as other parts of Washington – check out this book.

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