Comet Falls

Comet Falls is a gorgeous waterfall plunging some 320ft from a hanging valley (Van Trump Park, I believe is that valley) with some additional tiers both above and below this main plunge.

This is arguably Mt Rainier National Park's most beautiful waterfall though you could easily make a similar claim for

However, a visit to this waterfall requires a little bit of work because you'll have to earn it with a pretty hot and tiring uphill hike of about 2 miles each way (4 miles round trip). Although the distances are modest, it's the all uphill nature of the hike that takes a lot out of you (it certainly took a bit out of Julie and I). It was basically one switchback after another with a few breaks in between, and the climbing began almost immediately up the stairs from the car park.

Fortunately, there was plenty to see along the trail to help distract us from the physical exertion. Allow us to break down the hike.

First, after making the initial climb from the car park into the forest, we crossed a bridge over Van Trump Creek above Christine Falls where we saw some cascades upstream from it.

Beyond this creek crossing, the trail begins its first very long climb, which passed by a handful of fair-sized cascades along Van Trump Creek itself as the trail pretty much followed its eastern banks (author Gregory Plumb called these cascades Lower Van Trump Falls).

When the trail finally flattens out for a bit of a breather, it then narrows as it hugs the volcanic slope with a bit of overgrowth onto the trail. Julie and I couldn't tell, but we think they resembled poison ivy so we were careful to minimize skin exposure to them. Anyways, it was also in this stretch that the clouds started clearing and we did get glimpses of Mt Rainier.

The last long ascent traverses a series of large volcanic boulders before flattening out again. The ascent began near another impressive cascade on Van Trump Creek, and I believe this was what Gregory Plumb referred to as the Middle Van Trump Falls.

At the end of this ascent, the trail then rounds a bend before a one-sided log bridge makes another traverse of Van Trump Creek. This is where there could be a bit of confusion between Comet Falls and what Gregory Plumb calls Van Trump Falls (or Upper Van Trump Falls) because the three-tiered Van Trump Falls looks impressive in its own right, but a sign indicating Comet Falls is another 200 feet away across the narrow one-sided log bridge is the hint that was intended for you to keep going to get to the main falls itself. In fact, Comet Falls is technically not on Van Trump Creek though they do confluence shortly downstream from that one-sided log bridge.

Julie almost made the mistake of confusing Comet Falls for Van Trump Falls, and it was fortunate that my pre-trip research helped me realize that the three-tiered waterfall we saw was not it. Imagine how disappointed we'd be if we had turned back prematurely! Please don't let that be you!

Once we were finally able to go that extra 200 feet, we managed to get varying views of Comet Falls. From the first views, we got an angled view of its main plunge as well as its two lower tiers facing us. However, the trail continued to switchback some more as it got closer to the falls.

After about the 2nd or 3rd switchback, there's a spur trail leading right to the misty base of the falls.

I managed to climb another 3 or so switchbacks more before I finally turned back. From up there, I got some additional views of the main tier of Comet Falls.

It turns out that the trail continues to switchback some more until it goes beyond the waterfall and into Van Trump Park. Like Spray Park, I believe it's another subalpine meadow with wildflowers and views of Mt Rainier. However, I also think the meadow is part of the hanging valley responsible for the main plunge of the falls as well as sourcing the stream with its snowmelt.

We reached the Nisqually Entrance from Seattle by taking I-5 south to the Hwy 167, then took the Hwy 167 to Hwy 161. Going south on Hwy 161 from the suburbs of Puyallup and South Hills is actually on surface streets. I think it's this stretch that slows you down due to a combination of traffic lights, the heavy volume of traffic, and police looking to issue speeding tickets.

Eventually, the 161 leaves the suburban sprawl, passes through Eatonville, then goes east on Hwy 7 before continuing east on Hwy 706 just east of Alder Lake. Hwy 706 is the highway leading to the Nisqually Entrance.

Now with all that said, it's barely 60 miles from Seattle to Mt Rainier's Nisqually Entrance, but it can still take nearly 2.5 hours to cover this drive thanks to the surprising lack of a dedicated highway once you get onto the 161!

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The car park and trailhead

Julie goes up the stairs leaving the car park. Little did we know this was the start of a very long climb

Approaching the bridge over Van Trump Creek just above Christine Falls

Looking upstream from the bridge over Van Trump Creek at some cascades

Possibly Lower Van Trump Falls

Volcanic boulder field traverse during the initial climb

Trail alongside Van Trump Creek

Glimpse of Mt Rainier from the trail

Traversing an overgrown part of the trail. We weren't sure if the overgrowth contained any poison ivy.

Possibly Middle Van Trump Falls

Julie going around a sinkhole on the trail. Not sure what they'd do besides close the trail if the sinkhole expanded back onto the trail itself!

Traversing through another boulder field on the last of the big ascents

Julie and that sign indicating Comet Falls is another 200ft away

Julie traversing Van Trump Creek again

Our first look at the falls

Approaching the base of the falls and its rainbow

Rainbow and mist dwarfing the hikers below looking to get closer to the base

Rainbow seemed to expand and rise the higher I went on the trail

It's all downhill on the way back

Finally back at the trailhead

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Bottom up sweep from near its base starting with the brink of one of its middle tiers before sweeping past a bright rainbow and ending at the top of the towering falls


Bottom up sweep from right at the base of the falls starting with a downstream view then facing the mist as the camera pans to the top of the falls


Bottom up sweep of the falls from one of the switchbacks continuing onwards to Van Trump Park. Please excuse the shakiness as I was busy trying to prevent a mosquito from biting me as I was filming!


Bottom up sweep from an open spot where you can see the full extent of all the main tiers of the waterfall


Top down sweep from the footbridge crossing Van Trump Creek showing upper cascades upstream and more cascades as it continues downstream towards the main part of Christine Falls (not seen from here)


Downstream to upstream sweep from the log bridge over Van Trump Creek on the Comet Falls Trail ending at the three-tiered Van Trump Falls. Don't do what Julie did and mistake it for Comet Falls!

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TRIP REPORTS

• August 25, 2011

GUIDEBOOKS / OTHER RESOURCES

NEARBY WATERFALLS

• Christine Falls
• Narada Falls
• Myrtle Falls
• Martha Falls

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