Rainbow Falls Trail

This is less a hike and more a short stroll to one of the most dramatic waterfalls in the North Cascades — a towering cascade that drops over three hundred feet into a misty gorge. From the trailhead near Stehekin, a well-maintained path winds through old-growth cedar and Douglas fir for barely ten minutes before you hear the roar. The trail ends at a viewpoint where Rainbow Creek launches off a cliff face in a single, thundering plunge that throws spray across the rocks on windy days. The forest canopy keeps you shaded the entire way, and the path is smooth enough for sandals, though the mist near the falls can make things slippery. This is the perfect leg-stretcher for anyone arriving on the Lady of the Lake ferry, and photographers will burn through memory cards trying to capture the scale of the thing.