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MORRELL FALLS
Writer interjection here—I loved Morrell Falls until I got
married. In a misguided effort to follow social conventions, my
partner and I looked into getting professional photos for our
engagement announcement. A local photographer quoted us at
$3,000 for a "starter" package. I imagine that this price is rea-
sonable for some, but it certainly was not for us.
The photographer's portfolio included photos of a couple
who carried collapsible changing rooms on their backs into
the woods and got married at the base of a "secret waterfall in
northwest Montana." If $3,000 is the going rate for engagement
photos, I can only imagine that actual wedding photos are even
more. And we weren't even asking for a secret waterfall in the
frame. When I clicked on the link, lo and behold, the so-called
secret waterfall was Morrell Falls, only one of the most popular
hikes in the Seeley-Swan Valley.
If secrecy of location factored into the price tag for those pho-
tos, that couple got fleeced big time. Not anyone's problem but
their own, but still. Hawking the illusion of privacy at Morrell
Falls is a dubious business practice, at best. I suppose that's
what the changing rooms were for.
If you can accept that you won't experience anything resem-
bling privacy on this five-mile round-tripper, you'll at least be
able to appreciate the shock-pink fireweed growing along the
trail and the bear-friendly huckleberry bushes that line Morrell
Creek as you get closer to the 90-foot falls.
To get here, take a right onto Cottonwood Lakes Road from the highway at the north end
of Seeley Lake. Take a left onto Forest Road 4352 at the sign for Morrell Falls, and just keep
going. At about 6.5 miles, you'll run into a ton of cars, where you can try to find parking.
LINDSAY
TRAN
