Ladder Creek Falls is an underrated gem of the North Cascades. This waterfall behind the Gorge Powerhouse becomes illuminated at night with colors thanks to a light show put on by Seattle City Light.
Photo by Jeff Gunn/Flickr
The light show originally started around the 1930s to showcase the area’s beauty. It gained popularity quick, not only because of the amazing colors but it’s free, easy to reach and just outside of Seattle. They still light up the falls nightly with blue, red, green and white colors, running on a 15-minute schedule from dusk until midnight.
Aside from the lights and music, a main draw of the falls is that it’s actually quite easy to reach. It’s less than half of a mile walk through the woods from the Gorge Powerhouse – which you can find near the end of Trail Of The Cedars.
Trail Of The Cedars is an experience of its own. The half-mile path kicks off by the foot of Main Street in the town of Newhalem, just off North Cascades Highway. It crosses a bouncy suspension bridge, then leads through the woods with interpretative signs differentiating all of the types of surrounding trees. Then it follows up to the Powerhouse, from which it’s just a short, paved walk to the falls. See this map of Ladder Creek Falls which shows the bridge and trail.
It’s mesmerizing to watch the waterfall and lights in action. For a closer look, check out this short clip from The Everett Herald on Youtube:
What a beautiful combination of lights and nature. Have you been to Ladder Creek Falls at night before?
You may also like these Hidden Gems Of The North Cascades.