Rainbow Falls is a 157-foot tiered plunge on Rainbow Creek in the Baker Lake basin of Whatcom County, Washington, dropping in three steps into a narrow canyon that the 2003 floods scoured and reshaped.
The falls
The creek drops in three tiers. The 2003 floods scoured the canyon and left the upper tier set deep in a slot, so it is hard to see at lower flow. Older surveys listed 146 feet in two drops; the current figure of 157 feet in three drops comes from an in-person survey. The creek is glacier-fed and runs all year, carrying 75 cubic feet per second at high flow and about 25 at low.
Getting there
The old viewpoint is on Forest Road 1130, which leaves Baker Lake Road (Forest Road 11) just past the Boulder Creek Bridge, 18.5 miles from Birdsview on US 20. The overlook sits about 4.4 miles up Road 1130. The slope below the road has since slid out, and the Forest Service removed the viewpoint's signs and fencing; the falls are no longer clearly visible from there.
When to go
June through September is the best flow period. A 2000–2001 visitor newspaper from the area noted that on sunny days a rainbow could be seen from the old viewpoint.
On site
An unmarked route leads down to the canyon floor, but it crosses dangerous terrain and is not recommended.
History and name
The falls were a local outing destination by the early 1950s. The Concrete Herald of August 21, 1952 reported a Cub Scout trip from the Morovitz ranch to Rainbow Falls.
Nearby
Upper Morovitz Falls is about 0.6 mile away, right beside Road 1130, and Lower Morovitz Falls is about 0.8 mile. Upper Rainbow Falls is about 1.7 miles up the same creek.
Distances are straight-line.