Mt. Rainier National Park's Waterfalls

Last July 2010, we were at Mt. Rainier National Park. We were greeted by blizzard, very poor visibility and snow during the time we were there. However, we did not let the winter-like conditions in summer stopped us from exploring the beauty of Mt. Rainier.

Us Hiking @ Paradise Glacier Trail, Mt. Rainier National Park, July 4, 2010

Because of very poor visibility, snow deep and icy trail conditions, we gave up some of our planned hikes and focused instead on waterfalls that we can still photograph.

Here are some of the waterfalls in Mt. Rainier National Park that we were able to experience during our visit there last year. I will start from the Longmire entrance going to Sunrise.

1. Comet Falls

The trailhead to Comet Falls is 4 miles East of Longmire Entrance towards Paradise. There is a small turnout for parking on the left side of the road (coming from Longmire) which is just steps away for the parking for the next waterfall, which is Christine Falls. In fact, Christine Falls can be seen from the Comet Falls Trail. The hike to Comet Falls according to our GPS was 1.5 miles one way that climbs steadily 1500 ft. There were several waterfalls that we saw on this trail, one of them is this one below which we do not know the name.

one of several waterfalls we saw from the trail on our hike to Comet Falls

Comet Falls is 320 ft tall and is one of the highest waterfalls in Mt. Rainier National Park. This is one of the very few huge waterfalls that we can view very close to and not just from afar.

Me, In Front of Comet Falls (the white block that looks like icing is snow)

The Trail to Comet Falls

2. Christine Falls

The pullout or parking for viewing of Christine Falls is next to Comet Falls, on the right side of the road coming from Longmire towards Paradise. There is no need to hike to see this waterfall. Where I shot this picture is just a short walk from where we parked on the road.

3. Narada Falls

After Christine Falls, continuing on the road from Longmire to Paradise is Narada Falls. Like Christine Falls, it is hard to miss this waterfall since there are many people stopping by here. The parking here is larger compared to the small turn outs in Christine Falls and Comet Falls trailhead. Narada Falls can be viewed in just a short walk on a steep trail.

4. Sunbeam Creek

This is another roadside waterfall near Sunbeam Creek on our way to Sunrise. There is also very little parking here, like Christine Falls, it is just actually a small pull out for a very quick stop over to photograph this roadside waterfall. It was very foggy when we were here, but thankfully, we still could see the waterfall through the mists.

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