Perry Creek
Mountain Loop HighwayBest Jul–Oct
A steep climb through old-growth to alpine tarns and Mount Forgotten views on the Mountain Loop.
About This Trail
Perry Creek shares a trailhead with Mount Dickerman on the Mountain Loop Highway but takes a very different character. The first mile follows an old road through dense forest before the path breaks onto the sunny east flank of the Perry Creek drainage, traversing talus slopes and brush-filled openings. Two miles in, Perry Creek Falls drops through a slot with a steep overhanging lip — a dramatic stop that warrants caution, not acrobatics.
Beyond the falls the trail crosses the creek, which goes ford-stage in spring runoff and early summer. From there it climbs sharply, gaining two thousand feet over the next two miles through old-growth cedar and mixed hardwood forest. The route tops out in open meadows with small tarns, views toward Stillaguamish Peak and Mount Forgotten, and fall color that rivals anywhere in the Cascades.
Perry Creek sits inside a Research Natural Area set aside for its roughly 250 plant species. Stay on the tread. The Mountain Loop Highway closes between Deer Creek and Bedal Campground for winter, so plan for a July-to-October season.
Seasonal Highlights
Astronomy
Trail Conditions
“Arrived around 9:45am and there was still plenty of parking.”
Last report: Nov 2, 2025
Scorecard
Shares a popular trailhead with Mount Dickerman. Most hikers go to the falls; meadows above see far fewer people.
Permits / Passes
Safety & Considerations
Persistent Hazards
- Unbridged creek crossing above Perry Creek Falls, dangerous in high water
- Steep overhanging lip at the top of Perry Creek Falls
- Mountain Loop Highway closes between Deer Creek and Bedal for winter
Getting There
Large signed lot on the north side of the Mountain Loop Highway with outhouses. Fills on summer weekends.
Recent Reports
Arrived around 9:45am and there was still plenty of parking. Pit toilet was clean and stocked.
Beautiful hike! I only made it to Perry Falls, since the creek just beyond was too swollen for me to pass- at least a foot deep at it's shallowest, and I wasn't wearing the right gear to get that wet.
Bottom Line: Waterfalls - everywhere! The recent rain has left a trail lined by a curtain of ribbon falls (both sides, but more so on the valley wall opposite the trail), most disappearing into colorful clusters of big leaf and vine maples at lower elevations and clogging the valley floor.