Eska Creek Falls: One of the highest trailside waterfalls in Alaska

If you like waterfalls, it’s well worth making the trek out to Eska Creek Falls at least once. You might find yourself sharing the first part of the trail with mountain bikers swooping joyfully along the carefully constructed singletrack trails, and you may encounter ATV riders in the main valley. But hikers are allowed, other trail users are generally respectful, and the falls are absolutely beautiful.

I’ve never camped here, but it looks like a great backpacking destination to me.

This is hike 1 in by guidebook Day Hiking Southcentral Alaska.

Hiking Eska Creek Falls

Finding the trailhead parking may just be the most difficult part of this hike. Once you’ve found it, it’s another 1,000 feet or so down the rough gravel road to the actual trailhead: A tiny cul-de-sac off a leftward fork in the road, marked with a small brown sign.

The rest of the trail is very straightforward, starting on a clear footpath that crosses a couple of small bridges before hitting a high point about 1.4 miles in, with great views of the Matanuska Valley and Eska Peak. From there, the trail is mostly swooping singletrack that must be great fun to bike. You can already hear Eska Creek Falls at this point, but you won’t see it for a while yet.

At about 2.75 miles from the trailhead, you’ll hit a T intersection; turn right to stay on the trail. At about 2.9 miles you’ll pass another intersection (continue straight ahead/”leftish” to stay on the trail). This is a good place to stop and look behind you, so you can be sure of how to get back.

That same point is also where the valley starts to open up, giving you clear views of Eska Creek Falls at the heads of the valley, although you still have more than a mile to go to reach it. Those with good balance (and good shoes for traction on wet surfaces) can tiptoe very close to the base of Eska Creek Falls, which is surely one of the highest trailside waterfalls you can reach in the state.