Copper Lake Falls
Washington · 131-foot drop · Last verified 2026-05-15
Flow at Copper Lake Falls is 435 cfs today, around its seasonal average.
Expect dry conditions today — don't drive out for this one. Flow is at 460 cfs (bottom 0% of the last 30 days, vs. 815.6 cfs average). The 7-day NOAA forecast shows no significant rain.
Right now
Streamflow
435 cfs
SOUTH FORK SKYKOMISH RIVER · 34m ago
Overnight
47°F
Mostly Clear
Friday
63°F
Mostly Sunny
Today's daylight
Sunrise 5:17 AM · Sunset 9:02 PM · 15h 45m
Snapshot built 11m ago. Sources: USGS · NWS SEW.
No verified photo yet
Copper Lake Falls is a waterfall in Washington. It drops roughly 131 feet. Access details and conditions have not yet been verified in person by Fallspots — the data on this page comes from OpenStreetMap and USGS GNIS.
Copper Lake Falls is in Washington. It drops along The valley of the West Fork. The base sits at roughly 3,959 feet of elevation. Drive time is about 19 minutes from Baring. A trail — West Fork Foss Trail — runs within 30 meters of the marked location. No public parking is recorded within 2 km, so a longer approach is likely. This is one of the more frequently visited falls in the state by our popularity model. Source records come from OpenStreetMap.
The valley of the West Fork Foss River contains a fair amount of waterfalls. The river heads in a series of large lakes: Big Heart Lake, Angeline Lake, and Otter Lake- which form spectacular waterfalls as they plunge down to Delta Lake. On the valley walls downstream of Delta Lake, are found even more waterfalls.
Is the water flowing right now?
Most waterfall sites don't tell you this. The waterfall itself is almost never gauged, but a USGS streamgage in the same watershed can tell you whether snowmelt has started, peaked, or run dry.
USGS gage 12131500 · 7.1 mi away
SOUTH FORK SKYKOMISH RIVER AT SKYKOMISH, WA
View live discharge data →
30-day streamflow
Below 30-day average↻ Same date last year: 535 cfs · 86% of last year — similar
When to go (from the climate data, not our opinion)
Monthly averages from Open-Meteo's reanalysis dataset (2020–2024). Highlighted months are when we think the waterfall is at its best — but the numbers are the numbers regardless.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip (in) | Snow days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 34 | 24 | 13.3 | 23 |
| Feb | 33 | 22 | 11.4 | 22.2 |
| Mar | 38 | 24 | 5.5 | 20.2 |
| Apr | 43 | 27 | 5 | 15.4 |
| May | 52 | 33 | 4.3 | 7.8 |
| Jun | 60 | 41 | 4.3 | 2.2 |
| Jul | 70 | 48 | 0.9 | 0 |
| Aug | 70 | 48 | 1.7 | 0.2 |
| Sep | 64 | 44 | 3.5 | 0.2 |
| Oct | 53 | 36 | 7.3 | 8.4 |
| Nov | 39 | 27 | 11.2 | 17.8 |
| Dec | 34 | 23 | 11.9 | 23 |
Source: Open-Meteo Historical Weather API · ERA5 reanalysis 2020–2024.
Compare to nearby falls
If this one isn't the right fit, here's how it stacks up against the closest documented falls. Every column is filterable on the site — not buried in 13,000 reviews.
| Waterfall | Distance | Height | Trail | Dogs | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Copper Lake Falls (this page) | — | 131 ft | — | — | — |
| Malachite Falls | 0 mi | 600 ft | — | — | — |
| Upper Copper Falls | 1 mi | 39 ft | — | — | — |
| Middle Copper Falls | 1 mi | 49 ft | — | — | — |
| Lower Copper Falls | 1 mi | 46 ft | — | — | — |
| Lower Foss River Falls | 1 mi | 251 ft | — | — | — |
Related waterfalls
On the same watercourse (The valley of the West Fork)
- Lower Copper Falls46 ft
- Malachite Falls600 ft
- Middle Copper Falls49 ft
- Upper Copper Falls39 ft
Similar height (~131 ft)
- Alkali Falls131 ft
- Black Chasm Falls131 ft
- Dismal Falls131 ft
- Ensminger Falls131 ft
- Leontine Falls131 ft
Questions visitors ask about Copper Lake Falls
Answers built from our structured data. If a question isn't here, the fact is unverified — we'd rather omit than guess.
How tall is Copper Lake Falls?
Copper Lake Falls is 131 feet (40 m) tall. Height is sourced from OSM.
How far is Copper Lake Falls from a major city?
Copper Lake Falls is 13 miles from Baring (about 19 minutes' drive).
More waterfalls in Washington
Where it is
47.6095, -121.3310
Sources and live status
Where we got the data, and where to check current conditions before you drive.
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterfalls_of_the_West_Fork_Foss_River_Valley
Wikidata (Q56709220)
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q56709220
Last verified by Fallspots: 2026-05-15
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Marina and Theo verify pages one road trip at a time. If you've been to Copper Lake Falls recently, your local knowledge improves the page for everyone. Pick the kind of contribution that fits — every email lands in our inbox and gets read (and credited when we publish).
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