On rainy days, we like to take drives and explore some spots that we usually don't stop at when its nice out. This time out, we stopped at the North Fork Sauk River Falls near Darrington.

The drive is pretty with a lot to look at with the Sauk River and mountains above. We went through Darrington and headed up the Mountain Loop Highway (right at the stop sign in town) after stopping at Mountain Loop Coffee and Books!

After the loop turns to gravel, head past Mount Pugh Road and soon reach Road 49 (Sloan Peak Road) on the left. At about 1.1 miles there is a turn out that is large enough for five or so cars to park, but the trailhead is not marked.

It is an obvious trail that switchbacks mellowly down to the falls. I worked on a WTA trip here about 12 years ago, but I don't think it has been worked on much as of late. The stairs are still in decent shape toward the bottom, though there were some spots in the trail that were washed out.

My girls were going crazy after hearing the falls roaring as we switched our way down. After seeking it, they were ecstatic. It was hard to get them turned around and headed back to the car and we could have stayed longer, except for the rain and it is a bit dangerous to hang out at the viewpoint.

This is a great hike for hikers of all ages! Because it is so short, there is usually no one else there, especially on a rainy winter day.

Darrington Ranger District Roads:

If you like to drive the backroads around the Mountain Loop Highway then please check out our write-up about Friends For Public Use. This organization volunteers to keep all of the roads in the area open and clear of downed trees and washouts.