Chenuis Falls Trail

Chenuis Falls Trail is a 7.4-mile out-and-back from Carbon River Entrance. Most of the distance follows the former Carbon River Road on a gentle grade; the last spur crosses a broad rocky riverbed, reaches a log footbridge, then climbs to a view above the falls. Plan on about 4.5 hours and roughly 400 feet of climb. Do it for the waterfall and the strange old road; skip it if you want a quick roadside falls stop.

For about 3½ miles, the route follows the old road through forest. The grade is easy, but the surface changes from dirt to rock and washouts can leave rough patches or debris to work around. It is a long, quiet approach before the trail turns toward the river, so the falls feel earned rather than immediate.

Leave the road at the Chenuis Falls junction. The path drops onto the Carbon River’s wide, stony floodplain, where cairns may be the clearest markers, then crosses a log footbridge and climbs toward the falls. Stay with the marked line through the rocks. The footlog is vulnerable to washouts; never attempt the river crossing if it is missing.

Chenuis Falls is a broad, rolling cascade over dark rock rather than one sheer plunge. The path continues uphill beyond the water for a view from above. That higher angle shows how the falls step through the forested ravine; it is the best place to take in the whole cascade instead of only the pool at its base.

Floods in 2006 and 2008 damaged the old Carbon River Road, and the park left it as a walking and bicycling corridor instead of rebuilding it. The Carbon River runs from Carbon Glacier, the deepest and longest glacier in the contiguous United States. This walk follows the river’s edge through the landscape that reshaped the road.

Park at Carbon River Entrance. The small lot has vault toilets, but potable water was not found at the entrance. You can bike the former road to the falls junction and lock your bike at the rack there; bicycles are not allowed on the hiking spur. Pets are not allowed on park trails.