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Changes and Updates

June 07, 2020

A couple of small but necessary changes were made to the Northwest Waterfall Survey today. Firstly and almost certainly the more positive news: we're transitioning away from using Google Maps and have a new mapping system partially operational as of today. Individual waterfall pages have changed to use topographic maps instead of the Google satellite imagery, and markers for the ten closest-by waterfalls to the location being viewed have returned! The Browse map has not yet been updated, but it will be changing to the new system in the hopefully not too distant future as well.

In contrast to this, as a result of the behaviors and patterns of visitation we're seeing across various circles of the Social Media-verse, we've made the decision to further restrict and remove information for certain waterfalls in the database. Unfortunately the effects of viral media has shown to more often be negative in the long run, and the waterfalls which are most commonly the victim of such sharing are more and more quickly becoming over crowded, trashed, and generally disrespected by visitors, and in turn injuries or fatalities have also increased at some of these places due to increased visitation by those inexperienced with the hazards waterfalls can pose. The Gifford Pinchot National Forest's proactive decisions last year to remove the old viewing platform at Panther Creek Falls and construct a new trail to the base of the falls to circumvent the dangerous boot paths that emerged at the falls is a case study in why these changes are needed on our part.

Therefore, in addition to no longer posting directions for off-trail waterfalls which has been in place for the last year, the Northwest Waterfall Survey will no longer give directions for waterfalls without officially sanctioned and developed means of access, and will no longer list coordinates for waterfalls without any sort of developed access unless they can be observed from a location with developed access without enticing any off-trail travel. These changes should still mostly apply to waterfalls in off-trail locations, but there are some areas where user-constructed trails have appeared or paths simply developed as a result of more and more visitors to a location.

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