Three Off Trail Hikes: McClellan, Sorenson, and Bridal Veil

[Skarxun]

Is it as steep a descent as I've read on other reports (as in, you need 400 feet of rope)? From your report, it sounds very doable with a bit of caution.

I appreciate you consulting me on advice. This description left me intimidated about approaching the falls for a few years, but, as mentioned in the report, it was not as difficult as I anticipated. I was able to make the trip when it was dry for the previous few days--even though it was raining when I made the descent, the ground was not wet or muddy, which made the trip down significantly easier. Do not descend toward the falls, but rather head straight down toward the creek below--I noticed two major paths leading down, one to the south (right side) and one to the north (left side). I took the south route down, which I felt had a bit more exposure than the south path. The two paths converge on the relatively flat area just beyond the pull out on the road.

If you have, in the past, been able to scramble to the main tier of Lancaster Falls or navigated to the base of Camp Benson Falls, I'd say Bridal Veil is comparable. I personally found it easier than scrambling up to Lancaster and less steep than Camp Benson, but its difficulty is in the fact that it's a longer descent than both of those.

I hope that helps!

Awesome photos! A lot of people seem to like to take waterfall pictures on overcast days but those rarely "do it" for me; I much prefer these! But it must have been hard to capture that dynamic range; well done.

Thank you very much. The more I photography waterfalls, the more I try to go out on sunny days as, when given the right light, it really makes a picture special. These shots required quite a bit of luck, a good amount of waiting around, and some experience in post-processing to compensate for the limitations of the camera. I appreciate the compliment!

[runsfast2002]

Is it as steep a descent as I've read on other reports (as in, you need 400 feet of rope)? From your report, it sounds very doable with a bit of caution.

I appreciate you consulting me on advice. This description left me intimidated about approaching the falls for a few years, but, as mentioned in the report, it was not as difficult as I anticipated. I was able to make the trip when it was dry for the previous few days--even though it was raining when I made the descent, the ground was not wet or muddy, which made the trip down significantly easier. Do not descend toward the falls, but rather head straight down toward the creek below--I noticed two major paths leading down, one to the south (right side) and one to the north (left side). I took the south route down, which I felt had a bit more exposure than the south path. The two paths converge on the relatively flat area just beyond the pull out on the road.

If you have, in the past, been able to scramble to the main tier of Lancaster Falls or navigated to the base of Camp Benson Falls, I'd say Bridal Veil is comparable. I personally found it easier than scrambling up to Lancaster and less steep than Camp Benson, but its difficulty is in the fact that it's a longer descent than both of those.

I hope that helps!

Awesome photos! A lot of people seem to like to take waterfall pictures on overcast days but those rarely "do it" for me; I much prefer these! But it must have been hard to capture that dynamic range; well done.

Thank you very much. The more I photography waterfalls, the more I try to go out on sunny days as, when given the right light, it really makes a picture special. These shots required quite a bit of luck, a good amount of waiting around, and some experience in post-processing to compensate for the limitations of the camera. I appreciate the compliment!

Thanks so much for the response. I have done Lancaster (loved it) but did not do Benson because of all the blackberry bushes lurking about. It has been dry for the past few weeks so it seems a good time to try Bridal Veil. Thanks again for the tips and your pictures of all the falls are great. I was just at Falls Creek a few weeks ago and am kicking myself for not going up to the middle tier. Guess I'll have to go back.