Panther Creek Falls, Skamania County, Washington, United States

I have been dying to see this waterfall ever since I move to the Pacific Northwest. After several failed attempts to reach it (thwarted by snow, downed trees, and weather) I finally made it! It was more than worth the wait. It's hard to pick a favorite waterfall after seeing so many, but then again, it's really not because this is my favorite by a long shot.

Visually Panther Creek Falls is one of the most unique waterfalls in all of the United States. Found where Panther Creek plunges over a pair of steps in its valley, the creek begins by rushing towards the upper cliff, with a small portion of the creek splitting off from the main flow and plunging directly over the edge. The remaining 90 percent of the stream makes a hard right turn and follows a natural trough along the top of the cliff, contouring around the top of the horseshoe-shaped basin until reaching the far side, then plunging in a twisting fall for 69 feet to the bottom of the first step. Immediately adjacent to the main stream a large spring sends a broad veil of water sheeting 102 feet down the side of the canyon. After the collective waters of these streams merge, they plunge over the second tier in three distinct channels, falling 30 feet into a pool, with a broad 4-foot ledge immediately below to culminate the formation. Without visual aids to illustrate the scene it's quite complicated to imagine and grasp the complexity and eclecticism.

The upper tier of the falls is viewed from a well designed viewing deck which was constructed recently with a new trail to alleviate much of the hazard of visiting this waterfall which existed previously. There is no developed route to the base of the falls and the "path" which leads there is quite sketchy, involving scaling down a nearly vertical cliff of about 15-feet in height. It is well worth the journey if you are comfortable on your feet and have the proper footwear.