Road trip — US October 2025

The falls were named by a local resident and friend of mountaineer Agnes Vaille. Vaille died in January 1925 during a winter ascent of Longs Peak, located in the Rocky Mountain National Park.

The Cascade Creek Trail is steep in places, and I had to pause and catch my breath a couple of times. The official trail stops well short of the falls themselves, and I didn’t feel like trying to bushwack to get closer. This is a rather nasty cellphone zoom of the falls, which was the closest view I got. And yes, the sky in the mountains really is that blue. It was stunning.

Coincidentally, I met a family from Kansas City at the viewpoint, which, considering how far off the beaten track this trail is, was quite a surprise… That’s foreshadowing. Wait until we get to Canyonlands National Park in Utah 🙂

The Cascade Campground was good, but I don’t like the sterile ‘modern’ tent pads and the lack of screening between sites. When I stayed, there was no camp host, and no water.

As there weren’t many people staying, I think there was a maximum of five sites occupied while I was there, the lack of a host wasn’t a problem. Despite the government shutdown, I noticed a ranger drove through at least once a day.

Water might have been a bit of a problem, but I’d packed my water filter and pouches, so I just went and got my supplies from Chalk Creek.

One thing to be aware of, if you consider staying here, is how cold it gets when the sun is lower in the sky. That’s because there’s effectively a 2,000 ft. high cliff immediately to the west, so the campground is in shadow for a good part of the day.