Middle Falls Trail

The Middle Falls Trail focuses on the middle section of the Gooseberry River cascade sequence, providing closer access to the river level than the main falls overlook trail and revealing the sequence from Lower Falls through Middle Falls to Upper Falls as a connected geological story rather than isolated viewpoints. The trail drops to river level just below the Lower Falls plunge pool, where the basalt walls of the gorge rise steeply on both sides and the confined space amplifies the sound of falling water. The Lower Falls drop approximately 30 feet in a single leap over an angular basalt lip; from below the falls the cross-bedded structure of the ancient lava is visible in the gorge walls, each flow separated by a thin zone of vesicular basalt where the lava surface cooled and degassed. The Middle Falls, a short distance upstream, cascade over a wider section of the gorge in a more complex pattern as the river navigates a fractured zone in the basalt. A small island in the river at Middle Falls can sometimes be accessed in low water, providing an unusual mid-river perspective. The loop climbs back to the rim between Middle and Upper Falls, where a viewpoint looks simultaneously upstream to the Upper Falls and downstream to where the gorge curves toward the lake, a viewpoint that captures the entire falls sequence in a single glance.