Thunderbird Falls Trailhead

Easy hike to the falls. I visited in October so I was lucky to experience the fall. It is a nice and well-maintained path to the falls. You can also see the houses or neighborhoods along with the trail. Falls was nice and since it was not crowded, I could enjoy it peacefully. You also have a way to go down closer to the falls.

Easy to moderate hike, depending on your fitness level. The first part of the hike is a little steep, but not too bad. The views and scenery along the trail make it worth it. Definitely make your way to the waterfall look out at the end of the trail and work your way down to the creek and the base of the falls. Footing can be slippery / muddy along the creek so you may want to wear shoes that have some traction and that you don’t mind getting muddy. You don’t need special hiking shoes for this trail, though they certainly wouldn’t be a bad option. You can walk the entire trail in less than an hour - but take your time and enjoy the scenery.

Excellent trailhead, very easy to walk. I recommend going down to the waterfall. The water is clean and feels very nice on the feet. The "Steep Cliff" signs with a picture of someone backflipping off are an interesting choice of signage. I definitely do not recommend backflipping off the cliff; it is very high and the water is very shallow and full of rocks.

Thunderbird Falls was a last minute hike on the day we were leaving. There is a lot of uphill walking which takes you to an overlook of the creek at the 1/2 mile mark and then after a 1/2 mile more there is a walkway to an overlook of the falls.

You will not go wrong hiking this trail!! It was nice and easy and beautiful! The waterfall is breathtaking. Do it go outside and just take it all in!!

After the epic fail at South Fork Falls Trail, we headed to Thunder Bird Falls Trail. It's $5 to get in unless you have an annual parks pass, then it's free. Even though this hike is extremely popular, we weren't that thrilled with it. It's about 2 miles round trip with lots of ups and downs for the elevation. It's doable for all ages, but if you hate elevation like me, you'll be a little bit slower than the other folks who are quick on their feet. We didn't do the Creek Trail, but did enjoy the overlook of the falls. The reason for the 5 stars though is because we met an awesome group of people that we ended up joining them at Odd Man Rush Brewery after, which I recommend.

My opinion is that this is a super short very easy hike. It is definitely a fun and worth it hike since it's so accessible. Now it could become moderate if one decides to walk the trail down and be able to stand up close to the waterfall. Still very easy but for some who are much younger or older or have knee issues it could be considered a moderate hike going up and down the hill. If you just want to be able to have a nice view of the falls from the viewing platform then it's an easy short hike.

Very easy. I walked both options (to the viewing platform and down to the waterside) in regular sandals with a back strap; no special hiking gear from an outfitter. People of a wide range of shapes, sizes and footwear (minus heels) were on the trail. I didn’t have any issues with mosquitoes because I sprayed with repellent first, but other visitors were fighting them off. I recommend stopping at a bathroom nearby before going to the trailhead because the restrooms are clearly not maintained. Too gross to upload a photo but to give you some idea, I used a restroom at a gas station instead of the restrooms at the trailhead parking lot. The parking lot is not large and there were many vehicles, so some people parked roadside. The trail itself is decently maintained. There are no rails at some of the steep edges so it would not be a good idea to let children or dogs run unsupervised.