Skookum Falls & The Palisades Trailhead

A few miles up the road from Greenwater, look for the signed viewpoint for Skookum Falls, a cascading in a pair of narrow tiers and dropping 250 feet which is visible from US-410 along the west side of the White River. Spring runoff season is the best time to catch the falls, and there is a parking area for viewing.

Skookum Falls is near the trailhead to the Palisades rock formation, an array of dramatic columnar basalt cliffs and plateaus located in the northwest corner of White River Park. It can be seen from the Suntop Lookout road, which is accessed from the Huckleberry Creek Road (FS-73).

If you have time for an approximately 4-mile hike, there is foot access to closer views of the falls and the Palisades on the Skookum Flats Trail. Find Huckleberry Creek Road (FS-73), 25 miles past Enumclaw. Drive a half mile to the trailhead, on the east side of FS-73. A word of caution to hikers; this is also a very popular mountain biking destination.

Before getting much closer to Crystal Mountain and Sunrise, stop in at the historic Silver Creek Guard Station, a visitor center open daily from May to October.