Twin Falls

Under ordinary access conditions, the North Shore Trailhead route is 3.5 miles each way with about 75 feet of elevation gain, so allow for a 7-mile round trip. It is gentle in climb but a real walk for distance. When the concession boat across Two Medicine Lake is running, it cuts the walking section to 0.9 mile each way from the west landing; the boat trip costs extra. No toilets, drinking water, or food service are documented at the falls, so treat this as a trail destination rather than a service stop.

The boat-assisted route starts over a short boardwalk through boggy ground, then passes ferns and thimbleberry and huckleberry patches. A footbridge and trail junction come before the short side trail to the falls; from that junction, it is less than a tenth of a mile to the base. If you want a longer outing, Upper Two Medicine Lake is another 1.3 miles farther along.

Pumpelly Pillar is a glacially carved cone rising to 7,620 feet. It is named for Raphael Pumpelly, who led the Northern Transcontinental Railway Survey party that crossed Pitamakan Pass in 1883. The falls run down the pillar's eastern slope, tying the water and the landmark together in one view.

Include both falls in one photo; the gap between them is what gives this place its name. Their flow varies with water levels, so the pair may look quite different later in summer than during higher-flow periods.