Fairy Falls
Fairy Falls is a waterfall in Washington, at a modelled elevation of 1,715 m. Mount Rainier stands 4,392 m to the northwest, 4.8 miles off. The nearest named place is Upper Stevens Creek Falls, a waterfall 0.4 miles away. JCT SR 12 OHANAPECOSH JCT VIC WHITE PASS TO JCT SR 410 VIC CHINOOK PASS passes 6.8 miles off.
The story
Fairy Falls is a waterfall in the Mount Rainier National Park in Pierce County, Washington. The falls are fed by an unnamed watercourse, which is a tributary of the Cowlitz River. The falls drop about 680 feet (210 m) into a narrow, wooden canyon in a horsetail form about 20 feet (6.1 m) wide. Historically, the Paradise Glacier fed into two forks of Stevens Creek above the tree line, one of which produces Upper Stevens Creek Falls and the other Fairy Falls. As the glacier retreated throughout the 20th century, the drainage of Fairy Falls was gradually cut off from the glacial melt and now relies entirely on annual snowfall to sustain its flow. The falls diminish greatly in late summer and may dry-out completely during droughts.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q85760361, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
How to reach it
- 6.8 mi off the JCT SR 12 OHANAPECOSH JCT VIC WHITE PASS TO JCT SR 410 VIC CHINOOK PASS
- 6.8 mi off the JCT SR 12 VIC MORTON TO JCT SR 410 VIC CHINOOK PASS
- 9.0 mi off the Chinook Scenic Byway, National
- 9.1 mi off the JCT MUD MTN RD VIC ENUMCLAW TO JCT SR 12 VIC NACHES
Overlooks nearby
- Silver Falls Overlook · 7 mi
- Palisades Viewpoint · 10 mi
- Sourdough Gap · 12 mi
- South Snoquera Point · 18 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Upper Stevens Creek Falls: 0.4 mi
- Sluiskin Falls: 0.9 mi
- Paradise Falls: 0.9 mi
- Golden Gate Falls: 1.3 mi
- Sunbeam Falls: 1.5 mi
- Cowlitz Rocks: 1.4 mi
- McClure Rock: 1.5 mi
- Panorama Point: 1.6 mi
- Faraway Rock: 1.7 mi
- Alta Vista: 1.8 mi
- Nisqually Cleaver: 4.0 mi
- Wilson Headwall: 4.0 mi
- Nisqually Ice Cliff: 4.1 mi
- Kautz Ice Cliff: 4.1 mi
- Kautz Ice Chute: 4.2 mi
- Paradise Picnic Area: 2.2 mi
- Sunrise Picnic Area: 8.7 mi
- White Pass Day Use: 18.2 mi
- Corral Pass Picnic Area: 18.7 mi
- Valley View Day Use Area: 20.3 mi
- Iron Mike Springs: 6.1 mi
- Bum Springs: 8.0 mi
- Log Spring: 11.2 mi
- Soda Springs: 12.0 mi
- Hidden Spring: 21.0 mi
- Longmire Museum: 6.2 mi
- Transportation Exhibit: 6.2 mi
- Historic Packwood Station: 12.8 mi
- White Pass Country Historical Museum: 13.1 mi
- Mount Rainier Railroad and Logging Museum: 22.4 mi
- Packwood Cowlitz River Public Access Point: 12.7 mi
- Jack Morris Park: 22.7 mi
- Mineral Lake Access Area: 23.4 mi
- Rocky Point Beach: 24.6 mi
- Pyramid Creek SnoPark: 24.8 mi
- Stevens-Van Trump Historical Monument: 0.8 mi
- Cross-section of 1293 Douglas Fir: 6.2 mi
- Marine Memorial Airplane Crash Monument: 9.4 mi
- Stephen Tyng Mather Memorial: 10.0 mi
- Big Cedar: 7.3 mi
- The Trident: 7.5 mi
- Coffee Cup: 8.2 mi
- Mount Rainier Railroad: 23.5 mi
- Bevin Lake Rest Area: 16.8 mi
- Elbe Rest Area: 23.5 mi
- Wheel: 20.9 mi
- Recycled Spirit of Iron: 20.9 mi
- Ohanapecosh Hot Springs: 7.6 mi
- Jean Caithness Greenlees Grove: 24.8 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 7.5 miles of Fairy Falls. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Rainier | NW 326° | 4,392 m | 4.8 mi |
| Columbia Crest | NW 325° | 4,392 m | 5.0 mi |
| Point Success | NW 318° | 4,302 m | 4.8 mi |
| Liberty Cap | NW 323° | 4,297 m | 5.9 mi |
| Gibraltar Rock | NNW 329° | 3,863 m | 4.2 mi |
| Tahoma Cleaver | NW 310° | 3,533 m | 5.2 mi |
| Saint Andrews Rock | NW 314° | 3,520 m | 5.9 mi |
| Little Tahoma | N 351° | 3,395 m | 3.8 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:11 | 18:40 | 19:20 |
| June solstice | 05:13 | 20:18 | 21:05 |
| September equinox | 06:54 | 18:26 | 19:06 |
| December solstice | 07:50 | 15:30 | 16:22 |
Local time (America/Los_Angeles).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Jul–Aug.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 29 | 28 | 30 | 33 | 41 | 45 | 53 | 54 | 49 | 40 | 32 | 27 |
| Precip in | 17.2 | 12.9 | 13.2 | 8.3 | 5.1 | 3.8 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 4.4 | 11.3 | 18.2 | 18.9 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Rainier Paradise RS, 2 mi away.
Inside the official boundary of Mount Rainier National Park. Quietest months by visitation: Feb and Dec; busiest: Jul.
NPS visitation statistics, monthly averages 2021–2025 (2020 excluded).
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikidataOpenStreetMap element node/1985096434
Day trips start here
- Mount Rainier National Park · 5 mi
- Eatonville · 27 mi
Take the scenic way to Fairy Falls.
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