We camped at the end of the Clearwater Valley Road by Clearwater Lake and paddled the lake and hiked some trails, then, on the way back we hiked the North Dawson Falls Trail.    A sign marks the trailhead not far from the Pyramid Trailhead.   A loop route can be hiked, but on this occasion, we hiked in and back out on the same trail.  

From the campground road to the Falls is 0.6 km hiking through the cedar-hemlock forest above the Murtle River. 

We arrived at a fenced viewpoint above Dawson Falls.    Water is low at this time of year.    In the spring the volume of water is high, spray wafts up, and there is a roar heard from a distance.    In the fall, the falls are still impressive.  

We scrambled down an informal route to the base of the falls where there is a small bay and a different view of the falls.   This is a favorite spot.  

It was drizzling by this time and rain was imminent so we hiked back the way we came, passing quickly through the forest through the thimbleberries and back to where we parked.

Most people do the short walk from the south side of the falls to a viewpoint of Dawson Falls, but we prefer the Dawson Falls North Trail, getting closer to the falls at a spot where it is rare to see anyone else.