Carter Falls — Sunday, Aug. 28, 2022

We arrived at the Carter Falls pullout parking area around 10:30am and found plenty of space.  In crossing Nisqually Gorge and the River, we found the log bridge very stable and easy to use.  We would have had a hard time finding the trail from the other side of the bridge if another group hadn’t come out of the woods on the trail.  It’s not marked and there are many boot trails through the rocks.  To find it, turn sharply left after the bridge and follow up River about 30 yards, then climb up the bank to the trail.  Its a wide, well used and maintained trail mostly in the shade that follows a small river.  The incline is slightly steeper than advertised in other trip reports.  There are some awesome pools in the river along the trail.  We dipped in one beside a HUGE boulder in the river, after crossing a big wide fallen log.  The water is clear and very cold!  Carter Falls is beautiful but somewhat difficult to visualize with the overgrowth.  Just up trail from Carter falls is Madcap falls.  Slightly down trail from Madcap there is a well used boot trail down to the river where a flat rock midriver gave use a wonderful reclining view of Eagle Peak.  Fantastic!