Perry Creek — Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025

Bottom Line:

Waterfalls - everywhere! The recent rain has left a trail lined by a curtain of ribbon falls (both sides, but more so on the valley wall opposite the trail), most disappearing into colorful clusters of big leaf and vine maples at lower elevations and clogging the valley floor. Stunning! Still enough fall color but definitely well past peak. Orange/yellow Halloween vibe for sure! Snow starts just before Perry Creek Falls, which in and of itself is not as interesting as all the falls on the way up, as the plunge gorge is difficult to view from the trail (would be a great spot for a viewing platform). The initial forest walk has some huge old-growth trees, while the hike up the valley is open and rocky. The moss on the rocks and trees is out of this world. In a week's time, after the coming series of storms, the waterfalls should be even more impressive! Thanks to the trip report from erynnah for showing me the fall color potential of this hike!

Stats:

• Distance: 8-3/4 miles
• Vertical: 1570 ft
• Duration: ~4 hours 
• Road/Parking: Nice big lot at the Perry/Mt Dickerman trailhead, with the Perry trailhead at the far end of the lot. About a dozen cars. National Forest parking pass required. Toilets open but a warning sign about maintenance - I was too scared to peek. Mountain Loop Highway is beautiful right now - lots of fall color with big mountain and river views. The drive alone was worth it!
• Weather: Cloudy, 40Fs, no rain or wind; despite high freezing levels, there was still snow on the trees way up high, providing amazing contrast with the fall color in the valley.
• Water: The trail follows Perry Creek, but it is largely inaccessible. There are a couple creek crossings up near Perry Creek Falls, but this is quite a way in - carry water rather than relying on filtering. See map screenshot below for an idea about all the waterfalls on the trail.
• Fall Color: Well past peak, but lots of color remains, with impressive swaths of orange/yellow vine and big-leaf maples. Lots of fallen leaves so the ground is also very colorful; they have not yet started to rot. The initial forest walk has splashes of yellow - vine maples, salmonberry bushes and devil's club. Mushrooms, lichens and tree bark fungi. This is an area of unique WA biodiversity - lots to see!
• Trail: The trail is in good condition, with just a couple early blowdowns. It is muddy in spots, and leaf covered once you hit the valley ascent (with deep leaf piles + rocks being a little tricky). The leaves can be slippery, especially with a little snow up near the falls. The trail consists of an initial forest walk that parallels Mountain Loop Highway (with some very impressive huge Douglas Fir and Cedar trees - see video), a short section of road-to-trail conversion, and then the open, rocky and waterfall-lined trail up Perry Creek valley/canyon. No cell service, and I suspect my GPS had a little trouble and slightly overstates the distance. You will want to linger all the way up - it is truly spectacular right now with the waterfalls and leaves. Quiet - only saw two other people all day. Turned around at Perry Creek Falls as did not really want to hike up in the slush. Report of ~2ft of snow up higher. CAUTION: Exposure around Perry Creek Falls itself - approach the edge cautiously.
• Takeaway: Have done Dickerman many times, but never Perry Creek. This is a special place. Will need to come back in the summer and hike all the way to Mt Forgotten... the valley must be amazing with lush growth and warm sunshine.

There are higher resolution pics at the Instagram link. I have some video footage - will try to put together something this afternoon. I did not take pictures of Perry Creek falls but have video.

More Information on this Trip Report

• https://www.instagram.com/wta_alpinewanderer/