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Washington
5-Day
Waterfalls Excursion
DAY TWO
Day Two Itinerary
(If you would
rather view the waterfalls we have listed here as an individual, complete in one
day excursion - and not as part of the five-day excursion we have outlined -
when you reach Enumclaw at the end of the day turn left on WA-410 and follow 410
to the WA-512 freeway which will take you back to I-5 exit 127 (about 30 miles).
Tumwater Falls - Tumwater
- 9:12a
25 ft - heavy flow - 45 ft wide plunge
US-12 splits
off US-101 in Aberdeen. Follow US-12 to Elma and continue straight on the WA-8
4-lane for another 21 miles to US-101. Stay to the right and follow US-101
southbound to I-5. Merge with I-5 southbound and get off at the very first exit
(#103). Head toward the Miller Brewing Co complex. There is a smaller road,
marked with a sign announcing the falls, just before you get to the first
building. Follow it down the hill, across the canyon, to the park entrance.
There are several paved footpaths and a special viewing platform. (Note: There
are excellent public toilet facilities, here, and waterfalls have a way of
creating that urge.)
Tumwater Falls
is a collection of several low, river-width waterfalls, some natural and some
man-made. This is a city park. The 'sight' is this massive amount of thundering
water but, other than that, nothing spectacular.
Photos by Mary
Rebecca Lee:
Tumwater Falls
An Indian Legend told by Del McBride, former curator of the Washington State Capital
Museum in Olympia
An
Indian Legend about Tumwater Falls
Christine Falls - Paradise
area - 11:25a
75 ft, medium flow, 15 ft wide plunge
Return to I-5,
northbound, and drive to exit 127. Follow the WA-512 freeway eastbound to the WA-7 exit (Pacific Ave So and is the first
interchange) and then take WA-7 south to Elbe. Now bear left on WA-706 and follow it into Mt. Rainier National Park to
the Cougar Rock campground. Continue another 2.5 miles to the Van Trump Creek bridge.
While you can view the Christine Falls from your car, a short, easy, footpath
leads to a fenced outlook from which you'll have a much better view of the
waterfall.
Nahunta
Falls - Paradise area - 11:45a
150 ft, light flow, 2 - 6 ft wide cascade
Continue
eastbound along WA-706 for another half mile. Looking up the next creek (to your
left) you'll be able to see the 150 foot Nahunta Falls off in the distance.
Sorry - We
couldn't find any photos of this waterfall.
Narada
Falls - Paradise area - 12:00a
168 ft, medium to heavy flow, 75 ft wide cascade
Continue
eastbound along WA-706 another 3.0 mi to
the signed Narada Falls parking area. A short, paved but steep trail leads to
several excellent viewing areas.
Paradise
Inn - LUNCH - 12:30p
Continue
eastbound along WA-706 another
0.7 mi to the signed 'Paradise' junction. Turn left and drive to the Paradise
Inn. After Memorial Day and until about Labor Day they have a full service
restaurant. We visited well before Memorial Day when there was still a
considerable amount of snow in the area and all that was open was a snack bar
selling hamburgers or hot dogs. We made use of our car refrigerator and made
ourselves some sandwiches.
Myrtle Falls - Paradise
area - 1:10p
168 ft, medium to heavy flow, 75 ft wide cascade
From the
trailhead near the Ranger Station, follow
the paved Skyline trail for nearly 0.5 miles. A side trail (there is a sign)
takes you to Edith Creek directly above the falls. This is a very popular
photographic subject with the snow-covered Mt. Rainier dominating the
background.
Edith Gorge Falls - Paradise
area - 1:45p
168 ft, medium to heavy flow, 75 ft wide cascade
Exit the
Paradise Inn parking lot and follow the Paradise Loop road 0.3 mile to the
Paradise River Gorge bridge. Park in the small parking area on the far side. The
cascade is viewable from the bridge but, just as soon as you stop mid-bridge
you'll find a car behind you.
Washington Cascades - Paradise
area - 2:00p
168 ft drop over 300+ ft - medium to heavy flow - 75 ft wide cascade
Continue down the Paradise Loop road
to the highway and turn left. This section of road is known as Stevens Canyon
Road. Park at either end of the first bridge you encounter (this is Paradise
River, again). Follow the marked 'Narada Falls trail' (on the far side of the
bridge) downstream for about 0.2 mile. Turn around and you can view the cascades
from the bottom.
Other
Waterfalls along Stevens Canyon Road
Along Stevens Canyon Rd on the way to the Stevens Canyon Entrance you will pass trail heads to the following waterfalls (we were told about these but did not stop at any).
Martha Falls (3.5 mi)
(just after you pass Bench Lake)
Sunbeam Falls (0.8 mi)
Sylvia Falls (1.8 mi)
("hard to
find")
Box Canyon Picnic
Area (2.2 mi)
(Stevens Canyon Road swings
south here)
Cougar Falls (0.5 mi)
Backbone Ridge (4.1 mi)
(Stevens Canyon Road swings back north again)
Bottom of Stevens Canyon (4.7 mi)
Silver Falls
- Stevens Canyon Entrance - 3:00p
60 ft - heavy
flow - 20 ft wide plunge
Where Stevens Canyon Rd
intersects with WA-123 ("East Side Road"), turn left. Just .3 miles
from the intersection is a small parking area (sign: Silver Falls) and a short
but steep (downhill) trail to the Ohanapecosh River and the base of Silver
Falls. (Remember, you have to climb back up!). Bryan Swan mentions a longer (1
mile) but almost level trail leading from the Ohanapecosh Campground (which is
about 1.9 miles south of the Stevens Canyon Road junction). We chose to take on
the hill.
Stafford Falls
& Ohanapecosh Falls - East Side Road - 4:00p
According to
Bryan Swan, this requires some rugged hiking for several miles. We saw the sign
for the trailhead to Stafford Falls. Ohanapecosh Falls is supposed to be reached
by the same trail - just a lot further; we opted to pass them up. You can read
his description of Ohanapecosh Falls at:
Ohanapecosh
Falls
Skookum Falls
- Greenwater - 4:40p
60 ft - heavy
flow - 20 ft wide plunge
Continuing
north on WA-123 ("East Side Road"), you encounter the junction of
WA-410. Continue straight on 410 and just past the Camp Sheppard Boy Scout Camp
(well marked on your right) is the trailhead for Skookum Falls (on your left).
Another long (about 4 miles) hike that we decided to avoid.
Best Western Park Center Hotel
- Enumclaw - 5:35p
1000 Griffin Ave
End of DAY TWO
Here, adjacent
to Washington's beautiful wilderness, is a hotel with all the amenities and at a
welcome price. It is beyond words to describe the feelings which overwhelmed us
as we relaxed in their hot tub. And their restaurant has an excellent menu and
comfortable prices.
For more
information and reservations, go to:
Best Western Park Center Hotel
IF this was intended to be
a one day excursion and not a part of our five-day excursion, turn left on
WA-410 at Enumclaw and follow 410 to the WA-512 freeway which will take you back
to I-5 exit 127 (about 30 miles).
Afterthoughts:
Overall, this was a very
enjoyable, but tiring day. We saw some great waterfalls - and passed up many
other equally great waterfalls. The most beautiful - and rewarding - was Myrtle
Falls in Paradise. It was almost like a painting but with the addition of the
sounds and scents of nature au natural. We also particularly enjoyed the drive
from Paradise through Stevens Canyon. One could spend a week - even weeks - just
trying to enjoy all there is offered here.
Supplementary Information:
National
Park Service Map of Mt. Rainier National Park (.pdf format)
Mt
Rainier Map
(An
excellent map is also available at the entrance stations.)
Washington
5-Day
Waterfalls Excursion
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