Little Mashel Falls Trail is a 5.3 mile moderately trafficked out and back trail located near Eatonville, Washington that features a waterfall and is rated as moderate. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from March until October. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
dogs on leash
kid friendly
birding
hiking
nature trips
trail running
walking
forest
river
views
waterfall
wild flowers
wildlife
bugs
muddy
over grown
rocky
NOTE: DO NOT try to access the falls from the Alder Cutoff - people die each year slipping on rocks from trails on that side. The recommended way to see the falls is by entering from Highway 7. Follow the yellow diamonds on the trees, and there are 2 brown signs (1 for lower and 1 pointing up the trail for the upper). Muddy areas, due to recent rains, can make this trail slippery at times, so beware and be careful at all times. The trail takes you through a set of three waterfalls. Two are medium sized and the third is very large. About 125 ft drop. Access is a little tricky but well worth it. DO NOT bring children or adults that are not in good physical condition to the third waterfall. The name of this waterfall should not be construed as a descriptive in any way, shape or form. The little in the name stems from the river, and is actually quite the opposite of the waterfall itself. The largest of the three major waterfalls in the gorge, the Little Mashel River drops over a small punchbowl before sliding down a smooth concave lip and veiling 125 feet into a pile of large boulders in the gorge below. If you are fortunate enough to visit the falls in the spring when the river it at it's peak, you'll encounter a spectacular wall of water and spray. In the late summer, the falls become much more placid and tame, and actually provide an opportunity to walk behind the falling water. All three waterfalls along the river here are popular locations for the locals to come and hang around and the level of trash in the area reflects this.
The trail was easy to follow because the tracker helped a lot. We missed the turned but went back to the right trail to the falls. The end destination was great!
Just a reminder!!! Before taking off make sure to not leave any visible items in vehicle! Sadly, our vehicle got broken into with a smashed passenger window.
First ~2 miles are gravel road until you find a rock with a faded "falls ->" spray painted on it. after that point the hike is wonderful with the three sections of the falls being beautiful in different ways. Bring a bag as terrible people have left their bottles/cans. The water level at this time was great for climbing around.
Jessica A.
We missed the trail since it isn't marked and ended up way off track. Eventually we found the falls and it was beautiful. My 4 year old did well but some spots are questionable at this age. We would do this again, now knowing where to turn off. Our hike ended up being equal to 64 flights of stairs according to Fitbit (remember we hiked extra) so bring extra water, especially if it's hot out like it was when we went!
It's very beautiful, I only gave it a 3 because it's poorly marked.
Good hike. There weren't many signs for the trail. We took a couple wrong turns. But by using this app we could tell we weren't going the right way.
Sunday / 8-6-17:
After having hiked both the Bud Blanchard and Pack Forest Hwy 7 access road trail, I would recommend the Bud Blanchard trail. It has more to offer in scenary and variation in terrain where as the Hwy 7 access point is 90% gravel service road. The trails are not very well marked and for any first-timer to the Falls, you'll likely be back tracking to find your way (unless you use the "AllTrails App" to track your route). Roughly plan for an hour to get in the vicinity of the Falls and expect to spend another 30-45 min finding the lower, middle and upper Falls. Regardless of the hike up, experiencing Little Mashell Falls is most definitely worth it. I only rate 4/5 stars because of the trails not being marked very well but that also adds to the adventure, for some..
Horrible trail markings. Go with someone who has been if leaving from Bud Blanchard Trailhead on Center street. If you want to walk on a road, park at the Pack forest trailhead.
Poorly marked, but a good mix of easy and hard, and the falls are so pretty :)
Went to these falls two times last week. Once through Pac Forest and once from the Bud Blancher Trail. Definitely would pick the route from bud blancher for better views. Great hike but they need to mark the trails better, especially from Pac Forest.