- 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.
- 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.
Northwest Waterfall Survey
- Pothole Falls (waterfallsnorthwest.com)
Pothole Falls, or The Potholes depending on which sign you confront, is the first of two modest waterfalls along Lacamas Creek as it flows from Lacamas and Round Lakes to the Washougal River. Round Lake is formed by a small dam on the creek, immediately below which the creek begins pounding through a sandstone gorge with all sorts of potholes in the stream bed. About 300 feet downstream of the dam lies the falls, a 50 foot wide, 15 foot tall plunge. The falls are so named because of the various potholes which punctuate the ledge, funneling the water this way and that - particularly in the warmer seasons. Unfortunately, trees block views of the falls from most perspectives along the rim of the gorge. There is one clear view amid a field a short distance downstream, particularly scenic in the spring when copious swaths of wildflowers bloom amid the grassy knoll.
- Lacamas Creek Loop Hike (OregonHikers.org)
A forest oasis in a rapidly developing suburban setting, Lacamas Regional Park offers a fascinating sampling of landforms and habitats. At the end of the last Ice Age, over 12,000 years ago, a series of massive floods (the Missoula or Bretz Floods) swept down the Columbia River and scoured the landscape, creating exposed rock scablands and shallow depressions. This small park boasts no fewer than three waterfalls, including the pockmarked bench at the Potholes, a couple of lakes, scablands supporting oaks and camas lilies, and a deep forest dominated by maple and Douglas-fir. This loop begins on 3rd Avenue, but you can also start at Round Lake and include the Round Lake Loop Hike in the excursion. The itinerary includes a diversion to seasonal Woodburn Falls, which becomes dry during the summer but which is also best avoided when trails are extremely muddy.
- Potholes (Lacamas Creek) (OregonHikers.org)
“The Potholes” is the local name for a waterfall on Lacamas Creek. The soft rock here has been eroded into rolling curves punctuated by deeper “potholes”. The potholes are created when harder stones become trapped in a depression in the softer rock. Winter currents swirl the rock around and around grinding away at the softer stone. Lacamas Creek has dramatically lower water levels In the summer, when this area looks like an ornamental waterfall in someone’s garden, admittedly someone with a big budget. It’s easy to hop around and investigate dozens of small drops, potholes, and pools separated by channels sometimes less than a foot wide.
Washington Trails Association
- 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.
- 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.