I was lucky to hike this trail twice within three weeks from the confluence with Quartz Creek to Lower Falls. Pics from the second trip are at the Flickr link below, including a bit of Quartz Creek Trail, Curly Creek Falls Spur, and Lewis R. Trail from Curly Creek to Bolt Camp. Rainy woods filled with vanilla leaf and inside-out lilies in mid-June gave gentle way to sun-dappled woods filled with red huckleberries as well as almost-blue ones. Maidenhair, deer, lady and sword ferns as well as many mosses and thriving fir, Douglas and Bigleaf maple, cedar, alder, and hemlock were profuse and verdant both times. In mid-June, I also hiked below the campground, across FR 90 and a few miles along the trail. There were a couple of trees down on this section, all small and easy to get over, as well as one small stream too wide to jump but not over boot depth if you chose your spot (we removed boots because it felt so good to wade). There are some steep or eroded sections on the viewpoint to above Upper Falls, and a few sections along the Lewis R. Trail could use brushing and tread widening where maple or berry bushes push hikers to the outside of the trail. These are still fairly minor issues. The main obstacle is the trail to Middle Falls is closed from the bridge below the falls (which appears to be fine, but a logical place to close it) to the upper section joining the main trail where a washout appears pretty irreparable. It looks like the Forest Service has flagged the reroute through the woods. In the meantime, hikers need to use the Middle Falls trailhead/parking area to go around the closed part of the trail. This trail is popular with hikers and bicyclists alike. On this sunny holiday weekend, both the campground and almost all the backcountry camps along the river were full by Friday. We also saw two kayakers just above Taitnapum Falls but didn’t have the time or nerve to run to the viewpoint that would have allowed us to see them go over. We’re going to assume they made it safely. :)

You can park right at the beautiful Lower Falls (limited day access parking), but I had some trouble figuring out which trail was the correct one to continue on to Middle and Upper Falls (not many signs). I ended up driving a bit further up the road (about a mile and a half) and pulled off at the Middle Falls trailhead/parking area (gravel area with decent parking). Its about 1/4 mile to Middle Falls, with a couple switchbacks down to the river itself. There's a bridge that is "out of order" down the trail, which looked cool but I don't quite know where it went. Back on the main trail, it's about a further mile and half to the Upper Falls. If you decide to go swimming be careful of the current! Did a little over 4 miles total, which was perfect for my old dog and my mom.

We didn't hike but went straight to the falls! It was around 95 degrees, but the water is still very cold! It is so beautiful there and a great place to hang out swim and relax! Bring your kids, dogs and beers!

Had a great time on this trail, camped in the upper loop of lower falls campground. Wasn't sure how the kids would be (two 6 year olds and one 9 year old) but they trucked right along. There were definitely some "scary" parts where there is a steep drop off from a fairly narrow path. It had rained pretty good the day before so there were some muddy spots that were a bit slick. Over all one of the prettiest and most rewarding hikes when it comes to scenery and waterfalls. Also highly recommend camping at lower falls, it is a very beautiful place to take time and relax.

Camped at the lewis falls campground (lower) and in the spot we were in (#7) you could hear the lower falls roar all day/night. Simply spectacular. Saturday we hikes the entire trail from the lower to the upper falls and then kept going. Saw the Falls above as well and continued to the horse camp and on to Quartz creek since we had nothing but time on our hands. Awesome place, the drive is long and you are in no cell country (great thing) so the peace is perfect. Wanted to drive up through the Windy ridge area and se the volcano but road was closed due to snow. Looking forward to going back.... Unfortunately 4 photos dont do it justice but if you want to see the whole strong the link below contains it. Happy Trails!