Don't let the doom-and-gloom parking stories scare you away. This was a great hike. We got there at probably the worst possible time - early afternoon on a sunny Saturday on Memorial Day Weekend - and parking was fine. Just drive up Mountain View Road until you see a spot on the left. But, we did see one car that had rolled off the shoulder into a ditch, so if a space looks iffy, keep driving until you see another one.
At the start, the trail was wide and in excellent condition. It narrowed further into the hike. We were surrounded by lovely second-growth forest. The hike was well-shaded the entire way and would be great on a hot day. Many salmonberry plants, but only a few were ripe. Also some wildflowers were in bloom. The trail had some ups and downs, but not a huge amount of steep climbs. We had an 85-year-old in our party and she did fine.
Further up the trail, there were several places where there were stream crossings or patches of mud, but almost all of them had side trails that let you avoid them. So, if a stretch looks difficult, look around for alternate paths. Near the end, for example, there is a fairly wide stream crossing with only small, submerged rocks to step on. But, on the path to the left, there is a large fallen tree you can walk across, with a smaller fallen tree that works as a handrail.
At the falls, there is a wide open space where people can relax on the soft ground or on scattered logs. This space leads down to a wading area popular with dogs and children, with the falls at the far end of it. It never gets more than a foot or so deep, but this time of year it is still very cold.
A less traveled area is at the top of the falls, which you can get to by taking a trail to the left of the wading pool. We went up there and had the place to ourselves. We saw a large garter snake in a bush, where the side trail connects with an upper trail, and on further investigation saw that she was protecting a baby snake! We also saw a large robin who seemed to like watching the crowds from the top of the waterfall. We walked down to the stream at the place where it falls over the edge, and it is peaceful and quiet there.
We got back to the trailhead around 7:30, when it was starting to get dark. We hadn't had trouble with bugs until then, but at that point the mosquitos started to come out.
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