Goose Creek Falls is great little trail. It is about a two hour drive from Boise just outside McCall. I did this hike in late July mostly to see the Falls. If you enjoy waterfalls and mountain creeks this is a must do!

        This trail is great for summer hikes as it is largely in the shade. The weather in this part of Idaho is also cooler than some of the other hike areas around Boise.

        For this small hike my hiking partner was Marisa. Tyler was also supposed to go but bailed out on me at the last second. His web server had crashed and he just HAD to stay home and work on it. Evidently the world can't go a few hours without a forum for modifying sonic the hedgehog binaries.

        Anyway! This trail is a little different than most in that it is all down hill going in and uphill coming out. Actually the start of the trail goes up for the first five minutes or so then its downhill for the next mile. The trail is very well defined and easy to follow. A large share of it is shaded with great views of a forested canyon.

        I had worked out the night before doing this trail and found the downhill walk at just enough of an elevation drop to be uncomfortable. I'm not talking in a gets-you-tired sort of way but in a found-a-muscle-i-don't-use-much sort of way. There are also a lot of rocks imbedded into the trail and it just adds to the awkward downhill walk. This part of the trail was only a mile but it seemed much farther.

        When the trail hits Goose Creek there is a well constructed bridge that marks the end of elevation loss. The creek is fast flowing and very pretty. The trail splits after the bridge, the trail going left (downstream) is the one to follow to the falls. The falls are about another quarter mile down the trail.

        Going back was much nicer even though it was uphill. I kept a steady pace and never felt out of breath. It was also much easier on the muscles. I think Marisa had the exact opposite view but then again she was having other issues (see below) that probably tainted her viewpoint.

        I was lucky enough to get the picture just before the wasp pushed her over the edge (picture to the immediate right). Of course, if there is a pre-over-the-edge picture there has to be a post-over-the-edge picture (far right). The wasp seemed to sense it had pushed its luck and left her alone after this. I wasn't given high point for sympathy.

        Instead of running away it just continued to stare and then slowly made its way up to the trail. It stopped again (posing for a picture I supposes) when it reached the trail and stared at us for a few more seconds (lower left picture). It then lazily made its way up the trail for about another quarter mile before it left the trail (lower right picture).

        I have to say I am really disappointed with how the pictures of the falls turned out. In my defense it is really difficult to get into position to take a good picture. The creek changes direction immediately after the falls so you can't just hike down to the creek to get a better view. To get the pictures I did get I had to stand in the middle of the stream (notice the shoes in the picture to the right).

        Even though the trail is called "Goose Creek Falls Trail" the trail doesn't actually go to the falls. When you cross the bridge and follow the trail (the trail splits, take the one going to the left) you will hear the falls in about a quarter mile. There is a smaller fall just after the bridge, don't be fooled, its not Goose Creek Falls. When you hear the falls simply head off trail and walk towards the noise. The falls themselves are about 50 feet high (much larger than the pictures imply). The only way do get to the bottom of the falls is to climb down the rocks. This isn't too difficult but small kids should have an adult help them.

        The next time I go I'll be better prepared and should get better pictures of the falls. I plan on making Tyler stand in the water while I swim up to the falls... and also climb up the other side to get a straight on picture. Unfortunately this will have to wait for next year as TYLER LOST MY CAMERA! If you read my jump creek page you know that I have now lost two cameras this year.  First the Fuji finepix 2600 and now the Olympus 300. I won't go into the details suffice to say it was taken to an X-box party with nine teenagers and never came home. I'm thinking of moving to the Olympus 400 (I was very pleased with the 300, the 400 is the same but with one more mega pixel) or possibly getting another 300. Either way it is now too cold to until next year to go in the creek.