NeoAkela
Active member
Date of Hike: 09/08/2011
Trail Conditions: Logging roads all in very decent shape. Road to Garfield Falls has one washout about a quarter mile from the parking area. Plenty of room to park & walk the last bit. Trail in good shape. New trail to Little Hellgate Falls is a beautiful stroll through some of the nicest open mossy woods I have seen. Trail is well graded with log steps and small log benches along the way. Trail at the falls shows some erosion and has a few trees down, but they do not hinder the experience.
Special Equipment Required: None
Comments: I was surprised to find Little Hellgate Falls to be even more impressive (in my opinion) than it's neighbor, Garfield Falls. "Little" is certainly not an apt description of this drop! The trail was absolutely beautiful, but the benches that were on the side of the trail seemed to be designed for little elves - they only stood a few inches from the ground! The real challenge for seekers of Little Hellgate is not the falls, but the trailhead itself. Basically, after traversing a few intersections on a windy dirt road, you park at an empty blank kiosk on the side of the road (which is not anywhere near the location of the falls/road on the map I had), follow an overgrown snowmobile trail that starts further down the road over a couple of rickety bridges, then duck into a hole in the trees, where the trail starts. There is not a sign to be found anywhere along the way. However, once on the trail, it is extremely easy to follow. We could see that the trail continued onward after the falls - from my map, it looked like it would join up with another old road heading north. Unfortunately, there was no time to explore, and a whole lot of nothing in that direction!
Absolutely recommended if you are out in the Magalloway area.
Your name: NeoAkela
Trail Conditions: Logging roads all in very decent shape. Road to Garfield Falls has one washout about a quarter mile from the parking area. Plenty of room to park & walk the last bit. Trail in good shape. New trail to Little Hellgate Falls is a beautiful stroll through some of the nicest open mossy woods I have seen. Trail is well graded with log steps and small log benches along the way. Trail at the falls shows some erosion and has a few trees down, but they do not hinder the experience.
Special Equipment Required: None
Comments: I was surprised to find Little Hellgate Falls to be even more impressive (in my opinion) than it's neighbor, Garfield Falls. "Little" is certainly not an apt description of this drop! The trail was absolutely beautiful, but the benches that were on the side of the trail seemed to be designed for little elves - they only stood a few inches from the ground! The real challenge for seekers of Little Hellgate is not the falls, but the trailhead itself. Basically, after traversing a few intersections on a windy dirt road, you park at an empty blank kiosk on the side of the road (which is not anywhere near the location of the falls/road on the map I had), follow an overgrown snowmobile trail that starts further down the road over a couple of rickety bridges, then duck into a hole in the trees, where the trail starts. There is not a sign to be found anywhere along the way. However, once on the trail, it is extremely easy to follow. We could see that the trail continued onward after the falls - from my map, it looked like it would join up with another old road heading north. Unfortunately, there was no time to explore, and a whole lot of nothing in that direction!
Absolutely recommended if you are out in the Magalloway area.
Your name: NeoAkela
