Hike #14: Tumbling Down Teneriffe

Other than my hike at Mount Washington last week, all of my recent hikes have been on US Forest Service land. However, as fall is about to turn to winter, I decide to start exploring some of the front country trails, which are less subject to being snowed in. This day in December feels much more like spring than winter, with bright sunshine and warm temperatures, but nonetheless I choose a visit to Teneriffe Falls, and Jeannie agrees to tag along. This trail can be accessed via a brand-new trailhead and parking area completed in 2017, just past the Mount Si trailhead.

This isn't expected to be a difficult hike, and the trail from the parking lot is a nice walk through the woods. It joins an old logging road after half a mile or so, and gradually ascends up the foot of Mount Teneriffe. Teneriffe is the mountain directly east of Mount Si, and can be easily seen from I-90 driving past North Bend. Teneriffe Falls is about halfway up the side of the mountain, and can also be seen from I-90 in some places, if you know right where to look! After almost two miles, we leave the old logging road for the trail proper, which starts to switchback up the mountain.

Since we're at about 1600' now, we start to get some good views of the surrounding area. Most prominent is Mount Washington to the south, but we can also see Mailbox Peak, Russian Butte, Rattlesnake Mountain, and McClellan Butte. We maneuver through some small talus fields, and a short section of trail that seems to go straight up a stream bed. The trail goes steadily up with a few more switchbacks in the forest, and before long we start to hear the sound of falling water. We see glimpses of a lower section of the falls, but this is just a taste of things to come.

We come upon the main section of Teneriffe Falls among a maze of small trails, and it's far larger than I anticipated. The falls is impossible to capture in a single picture, so I take some video and a 360 degree photo to hopefully give a better sense of scale to the viewers at home. The falls is formed by a large rock outcropping that multiple streams of water are pouring over, rejoining in the middle and then cascading out of sight over a lower section of the falls. The terrain is so steep that there isn't much of a pool at the bottom, and the nature of the rock produces dozens of small cascades and drops along the way, rather than a single large one. It's a beautiful effect, and more so because of the sunshine and brilliant blue sky. Standing in front of the falls is like sitting in the front row of a movie theater, unable to take iin the entire scene. Editor's note: Be sure to check out the attached photo album to see the video and other views of the falls.

I carefully pick my way across the water to the other side to snap a few more pictures, though it's not any easier to take in the entire falls there. A few other brave souls have staked out a spot for lunch on the far side. Back on the trail side, we climb a few switchbacks alongside the falls to a nice spot on the rocks. It's a bit scary seeing the big drops right beside us, but we're secure enough sitting on the rocks to eat. On our way back down the trail, we pass hordes of people coming up. While this trail was unknown to me, I guess it is known to plenty of other people! It seems to be a relatively short hike with a great payoff in terms of the views and the waterfall.

 

We finish up in a leisurely four hours, having spent about an hour in the area right around the falls. Not a bad way to spend a sunny Saturday in December!

Editor's Note: I later learned that the trail continuing up past the falls goes all the way to the summit of Mt. Teneriffe. Known as the Kamikaze Trail, it's the fastest way to the top, but extremely steep and rough. Sounds like something to return to after the snow has melted!

Stats

Time: 4 hours

Distance: 6 miles

Elevation Gain: 1700'

Sights: Teneriffe Falls

Photos and Videos

View the album on Google Photos.