Ladder Creek Falls Trail

This is less a hike and more a short stroll — we're talking a couple hundred feet of paved path from the Gorge Inn area in Newhalem down to a series of cascading waterfalls on Ladder Creek. The trail drops through thick old-growth forest, the kind of mossy, dripping canopy that makes the North Cascades feel prehistoric. You'll hear the falls before you see them, and when the creek comes into view it tumbles down a rocky gorge in several tiers. During summer evenings, the falls are illuminated with colored lights — a tradition dating back to the 1920s when Seattle City Light installed them to wow visitors. It's kitschy in the best way. The path is short enough for anyone who can walk, though the return climb is steeper than you'd expect for such a brief trail. Perfect for families with small kids, anyone killing time in Newhalem, or photographers chasing that moody Pacific Northwest waterfall shot.