Upper Swayel Falls is a 29-foot waterfall on Sky Creek in Whatcom County, Washington, in the North Cascades region. It lies about 29.6 miles northeast of Darrington and roughly 53 miles east of Bellingham as the crow flies.
At 29 feet it is on the modest side for Washington, where the typical waterfall with a recorded height stands around 82 feet; it ranks 793rd of 941. By form it is a veiling waterfall, a thin sheet of water spread over the rock face, combined with a cascade character.
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. Sky Creek carries 3 recorded waterfalls; the biggest of them reaches 34 feet.
Whatcom County holds 348 recorded waterfalls, and several are close by. Swayel Falls, a 34-foot tiered plunge waterfall, is under a mile away. Lower Swayel Falls, is under a mile away. Purgatory Falls, a 232-foot tiered plunge waterfall, is about 1 miles away.
Upper Swayel Falls is located at 48.6457° N, 121.3377° 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 creek name is confirmed against the federal Geographic Names Information System. 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.