Vortex Falls is a 160-foot waterfall on East Fork Big Blowout Creek in King County, Washington, in the North Cascades region. It lies about 6.8 miles northeast of Tanner and roughly 22.4 miles east of Sammamish as the crow flies.
At 160 feet it is taller than the typical Washington waterfall of about 82 feet, ranking 263rd of 941 with a recorded height. The tallest single drop is 121 feet. By form it is a segmented waterfall, splitting into two or more separate streams as it falls, combined with a horsetail character. It falls in 6 drops.
The North Cascades are a wilderness of jagged peaks, glaciers and deep, forested valleys of western hemlock, silver fir and Douglas fir, with some of the heaviest snowfall in the country. Meltwater from glaciers and snowfields pours down thousands of feet of cliffs in countless cascades and horsetail falls. East Fork Big Blowout Creek carries 2 recorded waterfalls, and Vortex Falls is the tallest of them.
King County holds 236 recorded waterfalls, and several are close by. Big Blowout Falls, a 107-foot tiered horsetail waterfall, is under a mile away. Switchback Falls, a 52-foot tiered cascade waterfall, is under a mile away. Gossamer Falls, a 102-foot veiling horsetail waterfall, is under a mile away.
Vortex Falls is located at 47.5327° N, 121.6288° W. The listing is based on the World Waterfall Database, one of the sources compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey in its inventory of waterfalls and rapids of the conterminous United States. The exact position has not yet been verified on aerial imagery, so treat the map pin as approximate. Details on trails, parking and access have not been documented for this waterfall yet.