We arrived at the Teneriffe trailhead around 11 AM on a Saturday, and the parking lot was only about halfway full. The bathrooms are closed but the two porta potties were open and stocked. We passed by maybe 15 different hikers/hiking groups, but the trail felt pretty quiet overall.
The Teneriffe Falls switchbacks are pretty rocky, so I would definitely recommend only picking your way up those in one direction and taking the connector trail on the way down. I was in hiking boots, and the climb was doable, but my knees and ankles were definitely taking some strain.
The falls are absolutely gorgeous and 100% worth the hike. They were partly frozen when we arrived around 1 PM, and pea-sized chunks of ice sometimes split off and flew down in our direction. It was great to see the sparkle of the ice combined with the flow of the waterfall.
The surprising highlight of the hike may have been the painted #PuyallupRocks that were hidden along the trail on our way down! They were definitely not there on the way up. My boyfriend and I counted six; we took two to re-hide on another trail and left the other four for our fellow hikers to enjoy. If you haven't heard about the rock groups, people paint rocks and hide them for others to find, share, keep, and/or re-hide. The abundance on the return trip made the journey feel like an Easter egg hunt, with all the associated child-like excitement.
It was a gorgeous day and hike overall!
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