Coal Creek Falls is a 28-foot horsetail waterfall on Coal Creek in King County, Washington, on Cougar Mountain southeast of Newcastle.
The falls
The falls form a single horsetail, fed by runoff, with an eight-month flow season on Coal Creek. The drop measures 28 feet. The creek commonly runs dry by mid-June and returns to a flow after sustained rain.
Getting there
From the Red Town Trailhead on Cougar Mountain, the route follows the Red Town, Cave Hole and Coal Creek Falls trails. The round trip is 2.5 miles with 416 feet of gain, rated easy to moderate. There is no permit or fee, dogs are allowed on leash, and privies are available at the trailhead. King County Parks, which manages Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park, lists parking and public-transit information at the Red Town access point and warns that former coal-mining hazards remain on the mountain, so visitors should stay on marked trails.
When to go
Winter is the named best-flow season, though winter and spring trails can be muddy. The park is open daily from dawn to dusk.
On site
The initial stretch of trail is hard-packed, but roots, rocks, steps, cross-slopes and bridge steps near the falls rule out a continuous wheelchair route. Swimming access and any incident history at the falls are not documented.
History and name
Coal mining ran on Cougar Mountain from 1863 to 1963, leaving six miles of tunnels after about 11 million tons of coal were extracted.
Nearby
Doughty Falls is about 0.6 mile away, and Far Country Falls is also about 0.6 mile. North Fork Falls, on the North Fork of Coal Creek, is about 1 mile away.
Distances are straight-line.