Moulton Falls is an 11-foot cascade on the East Fork Lewis River in Clark County, Washington, about 2.5 miles south of Yacolt. It sits in Moulton Falls Regional Park, where a tall arch bridge spans the river, on a stretch of the East Fork with five named falls.
The falls
The river funnels into a narrow trough and drops over a series of potholes before settling into calmer water. A field survey records a single 11-foot step on a 41-degree pitch, about 75 feet long and 25 feet wide on average. In high water the drop disappears into a stretch of rushing rapids.
Getting there
The park is at 27781 NE Lucia Falls Road in Yacolt and is open from 7 a.m. to dusk. The lot has 47 parking spaces and 2 disabled stalls, and Moulton Falls isn't among the county parks that charge a parking fee. The falls are a short walk from the lot, and a flight of steps leads down to the rocks beside the top. Clark County manages the park.
When to go
Winter and spring bring high water; at peak flows the falls read as rapids rather than a distinct drop.
On site
The 387-acre park sits where Big Tree Creek meets the East Fork and holds two waterfalls, one restroom, nine picnic tables and a grill. The arch bridge rises more than three stories above the river. Swimming is allowed, but there are no lifeguards, and the county warns of cold water, swift currents and sudden drop-offs. Diving or jumping from the arch bridge is prohibited: people have been seriously injured doing it. In August 2018 a 16-year-old who was pushed from the bridge fell 60 feet and suffered five broken ribs and a punctured lung; people still jump there in summer. Dogs must be leashed, and owners must pick up after them. The Chelatchie Prairie Railroad excursion train runs through the park.
History and name
Moulton Falls and Lucia Falls downstream both carry the surnames of mill owners whose mills the falls once powered. The mills went up along the East Fork after the Yacolt Burn of 1902 to salvage fire-damaged timber and were taken down once that work was done.
Nearby
Yacolt Falls is about 0.3 mile away, and Naked Falls, 0.8 mile away, is also on the East Fork. A 2.5-mile trail links the park with Lucia Falls Regional Park, home of Lucia Falls, 2.8 miles away. Horseshoe Falls, 4.3 miles away, is farther up the same river.
Distances are straight-line.