Lower Falls

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Lacamas_Trail_Map.pdf (clark.wa.gov) Lacamas Lake Park hosts a 6-mile network of scenic hiking and cycling trails, passing dense forest, spectacular waterfalls, Round Lake and Lacamas Creek. Many areas are excellent for bird-watching, and the April blooming of the Camas Lilies are an annual feature. Upland forests support a variety of wildlife, including deer, raccoon, beaver, osprey, bald eagles and many others. Round Lake is an attraction for shing, and is stocked with a mixture of bass, bluegill and perch. Non-motorized boating only is allowed on Round Lake.

Pothole Falls, Washington (waterfallrecord.com) If you live in the Portland (Oregon) metropolitan area, you’ve obviously got a number of very impressively waterfalls to the east. But did you also know that there are some smaller waterfalls to the north, just across the Oregon/Washington state line? In the city of Camas, you can find Lacamas Park. It’s a very enjoyable park to hike around, even if you’re not planning on seeing any waterfalls. The terrain is relatively gentle, with only a few minor uphill portions.
Woodburn Falls, Washington (waterfallrecord.com) I visited Woodburn Falls over two years, so I had to try and remember where this waterfall was located and how to possibly arrive at the falls. Oddly enough, I did have a pretty clear recollection that the falls was on some spur trail at a park.

Lower Falls, Clark County, Washington (waterfallsnorthwest.com) While the lower of the two falls on Lacamas Creek - given the colorful name of Lower Falls - isn’t nearly as pronounced as its upstream sibling, the falls are rather unique in that they have a rather massive face. Here Lacamas Creek slides over a long, domed outcrop, cascading a total of about 45 vertical feet in a run of about 225 feet. In low water, the creek splits into several braids as it slides down the face, but in higher water periods the falls take on a whole new character. What photographs fail to illustrate is how long the falls actually are - there is a significant foreshortening factor at play here, cutting off the top 20 vertical feet of the falls. Unfortunately there really isn’t any way to photograph the entire fall from above.

Lower Falls (Lacamas Creek) (oregonhikers.org) Lower Falls is easy to see in the summer, but requires more care in high water seasons. In the summer, the upper section is reduced to a number of little cascades confined to a vertical crack in the rock. Waterfall fans can follow a chute on the east side of the creek to reach the bottom of the falls for a better look. In the winter, the entire rock face is covered with wild mass of water and the chute is part of the waterfall. The entire waterfall is a wide but shallow slide over a horizontal distance of about 180 feet.

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Lacamas Park - Round Lake to Lower Falls (wta.org) Lacamas Park is a surprising swatch of forest between Camas and Washougal where you can easily take time out to relax and enjoy nature. The park has over six miles of trails, with both wide-hard surfaced paths and more primitive dirt tracks. This loop hike combines both types to give you the optimum experience while exploring a lake, creek, and two waterfalls. There is also an optional side trip to visit the Lily Fields, which are infused with purple camas blossoms from mid-April to mid-May. Although there are some heart-thumping uphill sections, the hike is generally easy and appropriate for reasonably fit people of all ages.