Rainbow Falls
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Rainbow Falls is a waterfall in Washington, at a modelled elevation of 497 m. Bonanza Peak stands 2,900 m to the southwest, 11 miles off. The nearest named place is Rainbow Mountain, a peak 2.0 miles away. Cascade Loop passes 11 miles off.
The story
Rainbow Falls is a waterfall on Rainbow Creek in the U.S. state of Washington. The waterfall is located inside the Lake Chelan National Recreation Area in the North Cascades National Park, and is near Stehekin. The falls drops 392 feet (119.5 m) in two tiers. The uppermost tier falls 312 feet (95.1 m) to a basin. The waterfall is accessible from a series of trails maintained by the National Park Service and is easily visible from the Stehekin Valley Road. During the summer months a National Park Service shuttle provides regular transport from the Stehekin dock to Rainbow Falls.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q30601205, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
How to reach it
- 10.9 mi off the Cascade Loop, National
Overlooks nearby
- Washington Pass Overlook · 13 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Rainbow Mountain: 2.0 mi
- West Level Peak: 3.9 mi
- Tupshin Peak: 4.0 mi
- Purple Mountain: 4.0 mi
- McAlester Mountain: 4.3 mi
- Monkey Bear Falls: 9.9 mi
- 10 Mile Falls: 10.2 mi
- Copper Creek Falls: 11.0 mi
- Green View Falls: 12.1 mi
- Crown Point Falls: 13.5 mi
- Painted Rocks: 3.0 mi
- Hunts Bluff: 7.8 mi
- Lucky Jim Bluff: 20.5 mi
- Rock Cabin Avalanche: 21.2 mi
- Grassy Point: 22.1 mi
- Gilbert Ghost Town: 10.1 mi
- Miners Cabin (ruined): 16.5 mi
- Mazama Queen Mine Mill Building Ruins: 22.4 mi
- Brown bear mine camp: 24.7 mi
- Lake Chelan National Recreation Area: 3.4 mi
- Patterson Lake Public Access: 22.4 mi
- Buck Creek Pass Spring: 18.4 mi
- Carne Basin Spring: 18.6 mi
- Gamma Hot Springs: 21.3 mi
- Sulphur Creek Hot Springs: 23.0 mi
- Moore: 8.4 mi
- Holden Museum: 10.5 mi
- Spruce Grove Day Use Area: 23.8 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 11.9 miles of Rainbow Falls. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bonanza Peak | SW 227° | 2,900 m | 10.6 mi |
| Dark Peak | SW 234° | 2,591 m | 10.4 mi |
| Devore Peak | SSW 213° | 2,554 m | 5.5 mi |
| Martin Peak | SW 217° | 2,547 m | 8.9 mi |
| Reynolds Peak | ENE 70° | 2,545 m | 6.5 mi |
| Tupshin Peak | SW 216° | 2,509 m | 4.0 mi |
| Mount Gibbs | NE 49° | 2,482 m | 5.4 mi |
| McGregor Mountain | NW 315° | 2,476 m | 6.4 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:06 | 18:34 | 19:16 |
| June solstice | 05:02 | 20:19 | 21:08 |
| September equinox | 06:50 | 18:21 | 19:02 |
| December solstice | 07:52 | 15:17 | 16:11 |
Local time (America/Los_Angeles).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: May–Sep.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 29 | 32 | 38 | 47 | 56 | 62 | 70 | 69 | 60 | 47 | 35 | 29 |
| Precip in | 6.8 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 3.7 | 6.7 | 7.2 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Stehekin 4 NW, 1 mi away.
Months at or above the year’s average flow: Apr–Jul — fullest in Jun, leanest in Feb.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean cfs | 428 | 423 | 557 | 1,464 | 3,597 | 4,067 | 2,550 | 1,192 | 668 | 621 | 771 | 540 |
USGS monthly mean discharge at gauge Stehekin River AT Stehekin, WA, 1 mi away — the nearest gauge, which can sit on a different stream.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikidataOpenStreetMap element node/2174334880
Day trips start here
- North Cascades National Park · 14 mi
- North Cascades · 21 mi
- Winthrop · 25 mi
Take the scenic way to Rainbow Falls.
Byway plans around your taste, mapped places, real weather and opening hours — then opens every leg in Google Maps with one tap.