Twin Falls Trail

Twin Falls is the kind of trail you can do in trail runners before breakfast. The path leaves the road through mixed cedar and ponderosa, crosses a small feeder creek on stones, then follows the drainage upstream until the noise gives the falls away well before you see them.

Two channels drop side by side over a granite shelf into a single plunge pool — hence the name. The whole route is under two miles round trip with a couple of hundred feet of gain, and the tree cover means it stays comfortable long after the exposed ridges have baked.

The falls are at their best from late April through June, when snowmelt is still feeding the drainage. By August the twin channels usually narrow to a single ribbon over the shelf, and in a dry year the pool below can be little more than ankle deep.

Winter changes the trail completely. Once snow settles above the 4,000-foot line the route becomes a short snowshoe, the granite shelf grows a rim of ice, and you will likely have the place to yourself.

Sturdy shoes with grip — the last approach to the pool is over wet, polished rock that is more slippery than it looks. Skip the scramble to the top of the falls; the runout above the lip is unforgiving and there is no view up there worth the risk.

The drainage is a good spot to sit for an hour, so pack lunch and a layer. There are no facilities and no reliable cell service at the trailhead, and the creek water needs filtering before you drink it.