Lower Curtis Glacier Falls

RATING - 52.0


VR - 6.0 (Med) HR - 8.0 SR - 4/20

TYPE OF APPROACH - Trail

DIFFICULTY - Medium

LOCATION - Lake Ann Trail

TYPE - Cascades

HEIGHT - 400'

WIDTH - 10'

DIRECTIONS - From Austin Pass near the end of Hwy 542, like to Lake Ann, about 4 miles each way. The falls can be seen tumbling out of the Curtis Glacier into the valley below. The further south along the lake you head, the better the view. I actually took my best pictures from even further south after some bushwhacking along the top of the valley.

The views from Lake Ann are pretty breathtaking. The massive rock faces of Mt. Shuksan seem to surround you on all sides and it's easy to be completely overwealmed with the size of the peak. For those who look closely, there are several nice waterfalls in the area as well.

This waterfall can be seen from Lake Ann near Mt. Shuksan. The creek runs out of the Lower Curtis Glacier and immediately cascades for about 400' down the cliff to the valley floor below. It's hard to get a clear view, and it's really hard to appreciate from across the valley, but this is a very impressive waterfall. Apparently the creek shifts a lot and at least on some occasions, the glacier drains further to the left down a gully that contains no actual waterfall. Just keep this in mind when you visit as it's possible that this waterfall might not be running when you visit.