Slip off of 125-foot waterfall kills 17-year-old hiker, Washington officials say

A 17-year-old hiker slipped and fell to his death on a Snoqualmie Pass waterfall, Washington sheriff’s officials told news outlets.

A 911 caller reported the teen’s fatal fall at 8 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 9, the King County Sheriff’s Department told KIRO.

He was hiking on the Denny Creek Trail when he slipped and fell on Keekwulee Falls, officials told KING.

The waterfall, just west of the pass, has two drops totaling 125 feet, KCPQ reported. The highest drop falls 90 feet.

“Treat every decision with care when you’re out in the wild because, yeah, you could make a mistake, you could slip, you could fall, there’s always the opportunity to get hurt and, yeah, this obviously is a terrible thing to happen,” hiker Paul Otteni told KING.

A 2019 description of the Denny Creek Trail by the Tacoma News Tribune calls it an easy, but sometimes rough, trail.

“While Denny Creek presents places to play in the water, visitors should be aware of potential hazards,” it warns. “Rocks are slippery and unstable.”

“Keekwulee Falls offers a stunning viewpoint that is easily accessible,“ according to the Washington Trails Association.

This story was originally published October 9, 2022 at 4:08 PM with the headline "Slip off of 125-foot waterfall kills 17-year-old hiker, Washington officials say."