We arrived in Seeley Lake a bit early for check-in at the Double Arrow Lodge, so we decided to do a relatively short hike to Morrell Falls. This 5.5-mile round-trip hike leads to a beautiful 90-foot double waterfall in the Seeley-Swan Mountain range, fed from a water source in Grizzly Basin. Although a significant portion of the trail goes through an area affected by a wildfire in 2007, the Falls themselves were largely spared from the devastation. It was a refreshing spot to relax before heading back through the shadeless burn scar on our return.
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| We are passing Pyramid Peak on our way to Morrell Falls Trailhead, which is about 10 miles NE of Seeley, MT (As you can see, the road is well graded and was being used by many bike riders) |
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| From the trailhead it's about 2.3 miles (one-way) to the Falls on a mostly level trail |
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| Just before making a final descent to the creek and Falls, you will pass by Morrell Lake . . . This must have been a beautiful spot before the fire |
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| Once at Morrell Creek, the foliage returns to what this entire trail must have looked like prior to 2007 . . . The creek, and lush greenery, was very refreshing after hiking through the burned areas on a rather hot day! |
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| Morrell Falls (There was a lot more water going over the Falls than we expected . . . the stream that we followed, didn't seem large enough to produce such a magnificent cascade) |
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| Allison was intrigued by all these Northern Checkerspot butterflies that were at the base of the Falls |
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| It seems it would be fairly easy to hike to the top of the second falls, but alas, we didn't give it a try! (If you're so inclined, it appears you need to cross the creek below the Falls, and then ascend a social trail on the south side) |
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| Of course, we needed a selfie (and one last look) before heading back |
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| Here's a picture to show how lush and green the trail was in the creek bottom |
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| What would a recovering burn scar be without fireweed? |
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| We came across this whitetail deer when we were almost back to the trailhead . . . We were pretty excited thinking this might be the only one we would see . . . Little did we know they were everywhere in Seeley Lake! |
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| We had to laugh at this sign which says that Morrell Creek is closed to fishing downstream of this point . . . In case you didn't notice, there is nothing but a dry creek bed behind this sign! Apparently, Morrell Creek goes underground and then reemerges, at some point, closer to Seeley Lake |
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| One final look at Matt Mountain (on the left) and Crescent Mountain (on the right) . . . Morrell Falls is in the draw that forms between the two peaks . . . Time to head back to Seeley Lake and get some dinner! |
We were using this as our "warm up" hike for the following day's big adventure to Crescent and Heart Lakes. If you're interested in seeing Morrell Falls for yourself, you can click here for directions. There's also a short video (3.5 minutes) that a family posted from their trip to the Falls, that we really enjoyed . . . you can view it by clicking here. If you're looking for something fun to do with the family, or just need a reason to stretch your legs, we think you'll enjoy this easy hike!
