Twin Falls Lake

Twin Falls Lake, Washington

Hidden deep within Washington’s Morning Star Natural Resources Conservation Area near the Mountain Loop Highway, Twin Falls Lake feels like one of those places you almost aren’t supposed to find.

The route begins from the Ashland Lakes trail system, passing Beaver Plant Lake, Upper Ashland Lake and Lower Ashland Lake before continuing toward Twin Falls Lake. Washington DNR lists Twin Falls Lake about 4.5 miles from the Ashland Lakes Trailhead, but the official trail and campground are currently closed because of a failed bridge.

When I visited, we camped at the furthest of the Ashland Lakes and made Twin Falls Lake a day trip from there. Beyond the maintained portion of the route, it felt almost completely forgotten. The trail was overgrown, difficult to follow, and in places the only reassurance that we were heading the right way came from occasional pieces of search-and-rescue tape. Other hiking accounts describe the route beyond Ashland Lakes as receiving very little maintenance and being extremely difficult to navigate.

But eventually the forest opens up to Twin Falls Lake and its dramatic cascading waterfall, tucked away in the Morning Star backcountry. It’s wild, secluded and absolutely beautiful — exactly the kind of Washington place that inspired me to start drawing these landscapes in the first place.

I created this artwork by hand on my iPad using my Apple Pen, building the rocks, trees, water and waterfall piece by piece to capture the place as I remember experiencing it.

This particular artwork also means a little more to me.

50% of the proceeds from every Twin Falls Lake artwork purchase will be donated to the Washington Trails Association.

Seeing such an incredible place become increasingly inaccessible is heartbreaking. Trails like this take enormous amounts of work, funding and volunteer effort to maintain, and I want this artwork to do something — however small — to support the people helping protect and care for Washington’s trail system.

So when you purchase Twin Falls Lake, you’re not only taking home artwork inspired by one of Washington’s hidden places. Half of the proceeds will go toward supporting Washington trails and the landscapes that make adventures like this possible.

A note for anyone inspired to visit: Twin Falls Lake is currently listed by Washington DNR as closed due to a failed bridge, so please check current DNR information before attempting the route and respect all posted closures.