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LOCATION
- Cascade Falls is located in Moran State Park on Orcas Island, Washington. The trailhead parking lot is 14 miles from the Orcas Island ferry terminal on Mt. Constitution Road. You can also hike there from any of the campgrounds along Cascade Lake.
LENGTH
- 3.5 to 4 miles if doing the loop from Midway Campground, or 3.1 miles if starting from Southend Campground.
- If you’re looking for a shorter option, park near the falls and you can walk to the viewpoint and back in less than half a mile, or extend your trip to a 0.8 mile loop to include all three falls described below.
DIFFICULTY
- Moderate — The trail includes some gradual ups and downs. The optional trail to the base of the waterfall is short and steep, but provides the best views. If you choose to hike from the Cascade Falls parking lot on Mount Constitution Road, be aware that the trail, while short, is fairly steep. The trails are well-maintained, but can be muddy if it has been raining. In a few places, a small creek crosses the trail.
WE HIKED IT
- June 2020, about 4 hours including a picnic stop at Cascade Falls and play time in the creek near Rustic Falls
- September, 2022, for a shorter hike from the Cascade Falls trailhead parking
CURRENT INFO
- Check out the Washington Trails Association (WTA) website or Day Hiking the San Juans & Gulf Islands by Craig Romano for more detailed trail info and directions.
- Important note: We did the loop starting from the Midway Campground since we were camping there. You can also start from the Southend Campground, as described in Romano’s book, for a slightly shorter hike. You could also start from the parking lot at the day use area near Northend Campground. This makes the hike a little longer, with a short uphill stretch as you hike from Northend to Midway. If you prefer a much shorter hike, follow the short loop described on the AllTrails website. Parking along Mount Constitution Road provides quick access to Cascade Falls, although the trail is somewhat steep.
GOOD TO KNOW
- Cascade Falls is in Moran State Park, so be sure to hang your Discover Pass or Moran State Park camping receipt in your car window. Restrooms are available at all three campgrounds along Cascade Lake, as is drinking water.
HIGHLIGHTS
Enjoy a hike to pretty waterfalls, perfect for a picnic with a view. If you do the loop as described, you’ll have the trail mostly to yourself, since most people park at the Cascade Falls turnout and walk to the falls from there.
THE KIDS’ TAKE
The creek near Rustic Falls is shallow and flows gently over the rock bed, making it a great place to play and explore. But the whole hike can start to feel a little long after the waterfalls, so bring snacks and water to keep up morale.
WHILE YOU’RE HERE
Orcas Island is best as an overnight destination. Check out Midway Campground and its neighboring campgrounds, Northend and Southend, in Moran State Park. Stop by Cascade Lake for a post-hike swim or an ice cream cone from Sugar Shack. Beautiful Mountain Lake is also nearby. For more great hikes, head to Mount Constitution and to the beach at Obstruction Pass. The town of Eastsound, including Clever Cow Creamery and other fun stops, is only a 25-minute drive away.
Our Experience
It’s a treat to set off on foot directly from your campsite on a great hike, no driving required. When I realized we could hike from Midway Campground to Cascade Falls, I knew we had to try it. The kids weren’t as enthusiastic, but were somewhat mollified when I told them it would be shorter than our recent six-mile trek to Mount Constitution.
Heading uphill from our campsite, the road took us directly to the Cascade Lake loop trail. Turning right, we started off on one of the hillier sections of the hike. We passed through towering foxgloves, and also past towering nettles. Don’t run your hands through the greenery on this hike — these nettles are epic.
The trail took us down to Southend Campground, the most scenic of the three campgrounds on Cascade Lake. Most of Southend’s impressively large sites are waterfront. We were especially taken with number 8. With its own private beach, it’s perfect for launching your kayak directly from your campsite. No surprise, these sites book well in advance. I will have to do some early planning to secure one for a future trip…
At Southend Campground, we left the Cascade Lake trail, turning onto the Cascade Falls trail. The soft dirt was comfortable under our feet. Once we left the campground behind, we encountered no other hikers until Cascade Falls. While many visitors stop to view the waterfall, it seems most choose the shorter route from the Cascade Falls parking lot.
Upon reaching the Cascade Falls, we set up our picnic on the large log crossing the stream. We picked up lunch from Voyager Sandwiches & Seafood in Eastsound that morning, and treated ourselves to a gourmet meal with a gorgeous view.
After lunch, we continued on to a couple of smaller waterfalls further upstream, Rustic and Cavern Falls. While neither of these falls are particularly impressive, they are lovely, and the walk along the stream to reach them is an enjoyable addition to the hike.
We almost missed out on this section, however, due to some confusion as we left Cascade Falls. As we headed back up, I saw a sign labeled “hikers only” to my right. But somehow, I missed the fact that there was actually a trail to the right of the sign. Instead, we stayed to the left, heading up what appeared to be the main trail. I assumed it would soon branch off to the right and follow the stream, but when this didn’t happen, I knew something was wrong. Quickly, I headed back down to the sign and discovered the trail I had missed.
All’s well that ends well, right? Well, this wasn’t quite the end of it. In the meantime, Michael had continued his trek uphill without looking back. He’s the kind of hiker who likes to set a pace and stick with it. If you’re familiar with hiking with kids, this is not exactly their style.
While J went with his dad, I was stuck with T, wondering how I could get the other two back on the right track. After some frantic shouting and telling T emphatically to stay put, I ran up the wrong trail as fast as I could manage (not very fast). Finally, I made contact after what felt like forever (in other words, about 10 to 15 minutes). Michael and J had walked all the way up to the parking lot, and weren’t too happy about having to backtrack all the way back down.
But the other falls would be worth it, right? We carefully walked along the correct trail past the top of Cascade Falls (please note: falling can be deadly), coming first to Rustic Falls. This turned out to be our favorite of the remaining two, both for its simple beauty, and the shallow creek that provided the boys with the ideal place to play.
After Rustic Falls, the trail gradually continues uphill toward Cavern Falls, a small waterfall flowing through a rocky chute. The trail then turns sharply to the left toward the Cascade Falls parking lot. From there, we crossed the road and continued our hike, reconnecting with the Cascade Lake loop trail. Along the way, we passed through a handful of hike-in campsites with a vault toilet. It wasn’t the best vault toilet, but it was also far from the worst. Certainly, it was better than trying to find a clear spot among the nettles!
The hike took a little longer than anticipated, and the boys were happy to be back at the campsite. Still, it was only mid-afternoon, leaving us plenty of time to unwind and shower before heading to Eastsound for dinner. It was, no doubt, the best way to spend our last full day on Orcas Island.
