Racehorse Falls

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Racehorse Falls (waterfallsnorthwest.com) Racehorse Creek thunders over a great waterfall situated within a short, shallow and very interesting gorge. The falls drop a total of 139 feet over four distinct steps. The first two tiers are back-to-back punchbowl-type plunges of 19 and 44 feet respectively, which both feature deep potholes at their bases. Immediately below the second tier the creek accelerates down a ramp-like cascading fall for about 15 feet and then comes to the final drop where it first plunges over an undercut ledge and then slams onto a diagonally pitched bedrock ramp and veils out in a broad sheet, with a small pool on one side about three-quarters of the way down and ending in a much larger pool. The basin at the bottom of the falls is held back by a second diagonally pitched ramp of bedrock, within which is another small fall of about 10 feet.

Rhus typhina (Wikipedia) Rhus typhina, the staghorn sumac, is a species of flowering plant in the family Anacardiaceae, native to eastern North America. It is primarily found in southeastern Canada, the northeastern and midwestern United States, and the Appalachian Mountains, but it is widely cultivated as an ornamental throughout the temperate world. It is an invasive species in some parts of the world.

Racehorse Creek (wa100.dnr.wa.gov) Racehorse Creek, a small waterway near Deming, Washington, is a must-see destination for fossil aficionados. The area is known for its fossil beds—50 million-year-old leaf fossils, including sycamore and swamp cypress, await dedicated collectors. In addition to abundant fossils, the creek boasts the impressive Racehorse Falls, a 169-foot-tall multi-stage waterfall that’s a short 0.6 mile hike to reach.