Mount Shuksan Waterfalls

Mount Shuksan

There are four prominent waterfalls in the basin of a short tributary of Sulphide Creek, on the southeast flank of 9,127-foot (2,781m) Mount Shuksan in North Cascades National Park, Washington. Seahpo Peak Falls and Cloudcap Falls, the taller two of the three, are located on separate streams that converge and plunge over Rockflow Canyon Falls. The unnamed outlet stream from these waterfalls flows into Sulphide Creek, which flows into the Baker River. Another waterfall is Jagged Ridge Falls, on a tributary of the unnamed stream.

Seahpo Peak Falls[edit]

Seahpo Peak Falls
Map
LocationNorth Cascades National Park, Whatcom County, Washington, United States
TypeTiered
Total height2,200 feet (670 m)
Longest drop500 feet (150 m)
Total width5 feet (1.5 m)
WatercourseUnnamed
Average
flow rate
35 cubic feet per second (0.99 m3/s)
World height ranking36

Seahpo Peak Falls, at 48°48′49″N 121°33′02″W / 48.81361°N 121.55056°W / 48.81361; -121.55056, is an intermittent waterfall on an unnamed glacial stream coming off Seahpo Peak. The largest (but not tallest) of the waterfalls on Mount Shuksan, it stands about 2,200 feet (670m) high and has 6 distinct tiers, the largest of which drops about 500 sheer feet (152m) .[1]

It is located near the five waterfalls of Sulphide Basin.[2]

Its name stems from a Chinook Jargon word meaning "cap".

Cloudcap Falls[edit]

Cloudcap Falls
Map
LocationNorth Cascades National Park, Whatcom County, Washington, United States
TypeCascade
Total height2,400 feet (730 m)
Total width5 feet (1.5 m)
WatercourseUnnamed
Average
flow rate
30 cubic feet per second (0.85 m3/s)
World height ranking22

Cloudcap Falls, at 48°48′52″N 121°33′47″W / 48.81444°N 121.56306°W / 48.81444; -121.56306, is a cascade that drops about 2,400 feet (731m) and runs 5000 feet (1524m) off Jagged Ridge near Mount Shuksan. Although it is slightly taller than Seahpo Peak Falls, it is more seasonal and has a smaller volume, and is essentially a long cascade that does not have any prominent vertical drops.[3]

Rockflow Canyon Falls[edit]

Rockflow Canyon Falls
Map
LocationNorth Cascades National Park, Whatcom County, Washington, United States
TypeSegmented Horsetail
Total height200 feet (61 m)
Total width10 feet (3.0 m)
WatercourseUnnamed
Average
flow rate
100 cubic feet per second (2.8 m3/s)

Rockflow Canyon Falls, at 48°48′10″N 121°33′14″W / 48.80278°N 121.55389°W / 48.80278; -121.55389, is a 200-foot (60m) horsetail located where the water from Seahpo Peak Falls and Cloudcap Falls converges. It is the final waterfall on the drainage before it empties into the Baker River. In some months it is seen in tandem with a seasonal waterfall of similar height.[4]

Jagged Ridge Falls[edit]

48°48′12″N 121°33′54″W / 48.80333°N 121.56500°W / 48.80333; -121.56500

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ "Northwest Waterfall Survey".
  2. ^ "Waterfall Lovers Guide to the Pacific Northwest: The Computer Companion".
  3. ^ "Northwest Waterfall Survey".
  4. ^ "Northwest Waterfall Survey".