As people become more aware of the affect social media has on beautiful locations, it’s becoming more challenging to track down some of the hidden gems. Despite the challenge, I am incredibly thankful for this. Geotagging and over saturation have literally destroyed and closed many of our favorite spots due to the carelessness of the people who do not respect these special places. Leaving trash, starting fires, pushing rocks over or disrupting the landscape all fall under disrespect. We need to be guardians of these places and teach others how they should be treated. With that being said, I won’t be sharing the exact location of this waterfall. Paying close attention to my photos will give you a better head start than I ever got, and I highly encourage you to go find it.
Years ago, while searching for local waterfalls, I stumbled on a picture of this spot. I didn’t fully believe it was in Idaho because of the moss and height, usually that’s a good sign its further west in Oregon or Washington. But then I saw some photos from a local photographer that said otherwise. Since then, I’ve been committed to finding this beautiful mossy grotto. Back in 2017, Emily and I attempted to find it.
The snow was a bit too deep and I didn’t know the area well enough to be able to pinpoint the waterfall. I did some more research with topo maps, got some more beta, and decided to try again with Emily this last weekend. We left around 7:30 AM and hit the forest roads in the Tesla. The dust was unbelievable, however the Tesla’s “Biohazard Mode” was our saving grace. When activated, a military grade filter is engaged and it kept the inside of the car completely dust (and bioweapon) free!
After getting a new paint job, we arrived at the spot I had thought may hold our waterfall. We got out of the car and, as we approached, heard the faint rushing of water. After a short hike, we stumbled on this beauty.
One thing that struck me about this waterfall is how different it looked from multiple angles. I was able to get a sunburst looking at the falls straight on, highlighted the rocky features from the right side, and shot a smaller fall on the left. There’s an untold amount of creative ways to shoot this spot and I plan on going back as soon as I can!
We packed up, headed back to the car and drove out to a spot near the end of the Hiawatha Trail. I wanted to take some photos of the Tesla in one of the train tunnels and also shoot another roadside waterfall. I didn’t care for the waterfall photos much, but got a few shots of Tonya (the Tesla) that I liked!
It was funny seeing the looks we got by four-wheelers and 4x4 owners. I’m sure we were the last thing they expected to see driving down a dirt road out there. We stopped in Wallace for some huckleberry beer and a bite to eat at the 1313 Club (get the ‘Sconnie Burger with Pepperjack, it’s awesome!) before heading home.
As we pulled onto the freeway, a hug cloud of dust broke free from our car and continued to detach itself as we accelerated. Unfortunately that wasn’t enough to get Tonya looking clean again, but a carwash definitely did the trick.
Thanks for reading!
