Kautz Creek Falls
Kautz Creek Falls is a waterfall in Washington, at a modelled elevation of 1,837 m. Columbia Crest stands 4,392 m to the north-northeast, 3.1 miles off. The nearest named place is West Van Trump Park Falls, a waterfall 0.4 miles away. JCT SR 7 VIC ELBE TO JCT ENTRANCE MT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK passes 8.0 miles off.
The story
Kautz Creek Falls is a waterfall on Kautz Creek in the Mount Rainier National Park in the state of Washington. It was formed when the Kautz Glacier retreated in the last 50 years, creating a series of long and slender cascades totaling about 400 feet (120 m) in height down a tall glacial cliff, with a highest drop of 150 feet (46 m). The falls consist of two parts, each with two distinct tiers. One of these parts flows from the upper lobe of the Kautz Glacier and disappears under the lower lobe. The water flowing over this stage is generally clear. As the water passes underneath the lower lobe, however; it has a muddy appearance caused by glacial moraine, which explains the muddy appearance of Kautz Creek. On Pearl Creek (a sub-tributary of Kautz Creek) a few miles to the west, is Pearl Falls.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q37287, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
How to reach it
- 8.0 mi off the JCT SR 7 VIC ELBE TO JCT ENTRANCE MT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK
- 8.0 mi off the JCT SR 7 VIC ELBE TO MT RAINIER NAT PARK BOUNDARY
- 10.2 mi off the JCT MT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK TO JCT SR 162 VIC SOUTH PRAIRIE
- 10.7 mi off the JCT SR 12 OHANAPECOSH JCT VIC WHITE PASS TO JCT SR 410 VIC CHINOOK PASS
Overlooks nearby
- Silver Falls Overlook · 11 mi
- Palisades Viewpoint · 14 mi
- Sourdough Gap · 15 mi
- South Snoquera Point · 19 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- West Van Trump Park Falls: 0.4 mi
- Upper Comet Falls: 0.8 mi
- East Van Trump Park Falls: 0.9 mi
- Comet Falls: 1.0 mi
- Pearl Falls: 1.0 mi
- Mildred Point: 0.7 mi
- Pyramid Peak: 1.4 mi
- Glacier Island: 1.6 mi
- Tahoma Cleaver: 2.3 mi
- Copper Mountain: 2.3 mi
- Basalt Cliff: 0.5 mi
- Kautz Ice Chute: 2.0 mi
- Kautz Ice Cliff: 2.1 mi
- Wilson Headwall: 2.2 mi
- Nisqually Cleaver: 2.6 mi
- Packwood Cowlitz River Public Access Point: 14.6 mi
- Mineral Lake Access Area: 19.9 mi
- Rocky Point Beach: 20.8 mi
- Jack Morris Park: 22.2 mi
- 8th Avenue Park: 22.6 mi
- Paradise Picnic Area: 2.7 mi
- Sunrise Picnic Area: 9.8 mi
- Valley View Day Use Area: 16.6 mi
- High Point Day Use Area: 18.1 mi
- Eagle Crest Day Use Area: 18.3 mi
- Stevens-Van Trump Historical Monument: 3.3 mi
- Cross-section of 1293 Douglas Fir: 4.4 mi
- Marine Memorial Airplane Crash Monument: 5.5 mi
- Stephen Tyng Mather Memorial: 13.1 mi
- Old Mineshaft: 23.2 mi
- The Trident: 7.1 mi
- Coffee Cup: 7.3 mi
- Big Cedar: 11.3 mi
- Mount Rainier Railroad: 19.7 mi
- Ohop Ridge Christmas Tree Farm: 23.7 mi
- Longmire Museum: 4.4 mi
- Transportation Exhibit: 4.4 mi
- Historic Packwood Station: 14.8 mi
- White Pass Country Historical Museum: 15.1 mi
- Mount Rainier Railroad and Logging Museum: 19.0 mi
- Iron Mike Springs: 4.2 mi
- Bum Springs: 10.6 mi
- Log Spring: 15.2 mi
- Soda Springs: 15.9 mi
- Hidden Spring: 24.6 mi
- Wheel: 17.2 mi
- Recycled Spirit of Iron: 17.2 mi
- The Wilkeson Way to Carbon Glacier: 23.9 mi
- Bacon and Eggs: 24.1 mi
- Bevin Lake Rest Area: 17.9 mi
- Elbe Rest Area: 19.7 mi
- Ohanapecosh Hot Springs: 11.6 mi
- Waterfront: 23.4 mi
- Jean Caithness Greenlees Grove: 24.0 mi
- Northwest Trek Wildlife Park: 24.4 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 7.7 miles of Kautz Creek Falls. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia Crest | NNE 20° | 4,392 m | 3.1 mi |
| Mount Rainier | NNE 22° | 4,392 m | 3.1 mi |
| Point Success | NNE 16° | 4,302 m | 2.6 mi |
| Liberty Cap | N 6° | 4,297 m | 3.7 mi |
| Gibraltar Rock | NE 36° | 3,863 m | 3.0 mi |
| Tahoma Cleaver | N 357° | 3,533 m | 2.3 mi |
| Saint Andrews Rock | N 354° | 3,520 m | 3.0 mi |
| Little Tahoma | NE 51° | 3,395 m | 4.3 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:11 | 18:40 | 19:20 |
| June solstice | 05:14 | 20:18 | 21:06 |
| September equinox | 06:55 | 18:27 | 19:07 |
| 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, 3 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/1985335428
Day trips start here
- Mount Rainier National Park · 5 mi
- Eatonville · 23 mi
Take the scenic way to Kautz Creek Falls.
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