Panther Creek Falls
Southern Washington
PANTHER CREEK FALLS
A BRIEF SUMMARY OF PANTHER CREEK FALLS
Panther Creek Falls provides a wonderful multi-stream waterfall shot with vivid colors, unique rock shapes, and cascading water flows. The main waterfall actually takes a sharp turn before dropping to a pool at the base of the falls. Then an adjoining falls sends a new veil of water down the other side of the gorge.
The experience of first seeing Panther Falls after the challenging hike down to the base of the falls is breathtaking. For a photographer, this serene location offer endless compositional opportunities.
Images and location summary by Tim Wier
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DATA POINTS INCLUDED WITH PANTHER CREEK FALLS SUMMARY
I would rate the difficulty of this trail as a 2 on a scale of 1-5 (with 5 being most difficult). The hike to the viewing area and is only a short walk from the parking lot (200-300 yards). The hike to the base of the falls is a bit more challenging, but with caution you can get to the creek without too much difficulty.
For those that had been to Panther Creek Falls in the past know the hike down to the creek used to be a serious event. Now, there is a new maintained path down to the creek with a newly constructed viewing stand. - a welcomed additiona!! The new trail is found by walking down toward the viewing area and then veering to the left.
Panther Creek Falls is such a beautiful and peaceful location. However, it can sometimes be a challenge to photograph due to the water flow and mist coming off of the falls. This location is BEST when NO sunlight is hitting any part of the scene. This means either early morning, late afternoon or on an overcast day.
There are several ways to photograph the falls - most will either shoot the cascading waterfalls on the west facing stream (shown above) or the two waterfalls coming together from both streams (which is more of the classic shot). While at the location, I would suggest both. If you shoot the west facing cascades, you can either photograph from the visitors platform (above) or platform (below).
Depending on your composition, you can use either a standard, short telephoto or extreme wide angle lens.
The shot above was taken at 50mm.
To capture both falls, the scene is narrow and tall and you will need an extremely wide angle lens (11-16mm). An alternative would be to do a vertical pano stitch with a 24mm lens or wider. A perspective control lens would also be a benefit as you are pointing up to get the top of the falls.
1,878 Ft. Elevation
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KMZ Trail File
Directions
Best Time of Day to Shoot
Best Time of Year to Shoot
Equipment Needed
Permits Required
Direction of Shot
Google Maps Birds-Eye-View
Number of Photographers to Expect
Cell Service
Overnight Lodging/Camping
Nearby Restaurants
Area Guides and Workshops
Other Resources
LOCATION SUMMARIES WRITTEN BY PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHERS
