On May 20, 2017 we decided the weather was perfect for a little road trip to some local waterfalls. We filled our water bottles and hit the road. Our first stop was in a small town about 30 mins from us called Vader, Washington. When we arrived at McMurphy park we were all excited to see a big waterfall. 
Little did we know McMurphy park doesn’t have a waterfall but instead it has falls. It was pretty down along the falls but nothing near what we expected to see. We were all a little disappointed with the lack of a true waterfall.
We hopped back in the car and headed to Randle, WA knowing there was a true waterfall there that we have not yet been to. Once you get up near Cispus Learning Center there is a washed out Forest road to view. We like to camp along that road and have to take the long way around now that is has washed out. We decided to go check it out with the kids before finding the waterfall.
A bunch of other cars pulled up as we were checking out the river so we decided to leave. We drove over to the Cispus Learning center and parked out front along with two other vehicles. Across the street was the Covel Creek trailhead. I made sure to get a photo before we headed down the trail.
We quickly came upon this little spot on the trail and the kids loved it. Who knew walking across a log in 3 inches of water could be so much fun. Zeke was very upset when we told him it was time to leave the water and continue our hike. He protested for at least five minutes not wanting to walk. 
There were two bridges out along our way up the trail. We just crossed both areas easily and it added more fun into our hike. Hiking on Covel creek trailhead
Before we knew it we were on a forest road. We walked up the road about two blocks and found another trailhead Burley Mountain. We were confused when it said it was another mile to the waterfall We walked up the really steep trail probably almost a block then decided we had better turn around. We were not prepared to hike in the dark. Our quick 2 mile hike would turn into 4 miles and the sun was going down.
We made it back to the car pretty quickly or so it seemed. We ran a lot of the way since it was down hill so that was fun. We were all pretty disappointed once again since we didn’t get to see the waterfall after a long drive. We did enjoy the hike though and had some nice family time in nature so not all was lost. 
We ended up stopping along Highway 12 and ate dinner at Huff and Puff. A fun little restaurant along the way. We made it home after dark but had a nice day in the end. Have you ever had your plans not go as expected but still got enjoyment from it?
Ape Caves and June Lake Hike | Crafty Snap Happy Mama
[…] fun semi local place to visit in SW WA is Covel Creek Falls. Go in the summer and bring a bathing suit it is a great place to cool off and let the kids play in […]
These pictures look stunning!
Thank you it is a beautiful place.