Sight · Mount Rainier National Park
A short downhill walk to a 60-foot gorge waterfall.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Mount Rainier Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Mount Rainier National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Mount Rainier audio tourRecorded for this place
Deer Creek Falls: A Short, Steep Walk“Deer Creek trailhead is coming up, with a short, steep forest walk to a waterfall that spills sideways across boulders before dropping into a gorge.”
Plays as you drive up to Deer Creek Falls in the Parkwolf Mount Rainier Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Deer Creek Falls drops more than 60 feet into a forested gorge in Mount Rainier's Ohanapecosh Area. It's a worthwhile pause if you're driving SR 123 and want a short walk to a waterfall. The falls aren't visible from the road, so expect a downhill walk to reach them.
Follow Owyhigh Lakes Trail downhill from the Deer Creek Trailhead. The first view is about a quarter mile in; another quarter mile reaches a second angle where the falls spill into Chinook Creek. Watch how the water runs almost sideways across the cut boulders before dropping to the next tier. Flow changes through the year, so the cascade looks different by season. For a photo that shows the falls meeting the creek, continue to the second view and stay well back from the gorge brink.
The trailhead is across SR 123 from a small roadside pullout. Cross to the trail marker with care: this is a blind corner, and brush and low branches can hide the marker from the road. The route drops through shaded forest on switchbacks, past large Douglas fir, hemlock, and cedar. Pets aren't allowed on park trails. SR 123 closes in winter, so check road status before heading this way.
Wildlife
466 sightingsMountain GoatMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
383 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
10 sightingsWolverineMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
58 sightingsElkMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
574 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
1,853 sightingsHoary MarmotMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Mount Rainier. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ModerateStafford Falls via Deer Creek3.6 mi · 2.5 hr · 0.1 mi awayBlue-green pools and a punch bowl after a steep forest drop.EasyDeer Creek Falls Trail0.8 mi · 45 min · 0.1 mi awayA short, steep forest walk to Deer Creek’s tiered falls.
ChallengingShriner Peak Trail8 mi · 6 hr · 2.4 mi awayA tough, exposed climb to a historic lookout and wide views.
ModerateEastside Trail11.2 mi · 6.5 hr · 2.4 mi awayMeadows, waterfalls, and old growth on a long mountain traverse.
EasyTipsoo Lake Loop Trail0.7 mi · 30 min · 2.5 mi awayAn easy alpine lap with wildflowers, lake views and Rainier.
ModerateNaches Peak Loop Trail3.5 mi · 2.5 hr · 2.5 mi awayRainier leads the meadow return; Dewey Lake drops away on the PCT.
ModeratePacific Crest Trail: Chinook Pass to Laughingwater Creek Junction8.9 mi · 6 hr · 2.9 mi awayLakes, meadows and Rainier views reward this long PCT traverse.
ModerateSheep Lake to Sourdough Gap Trail6.6 mi · 4 hr · 2.9 mi awayA lakeside pause before a steeper climb to a high saddle.
Sight · 1.2 mi awayStafford FallsA blue-green waterfall hike with a steep climb back to the road.
Sight · 1.5 mi awayShriner Peak Fire LookoutA 1932 lookout caps a steep hike to Rainier’s southeast panorama.
Sight · 2.4 mi awayOhanapecosh FallsTwo drops, a footbridge, and a long walk into the forest.
Sight · 2.6 mi awayTipsoo LakeA short loop, wildflowers, and a chance at Rainier's reflection.
Sight · 2.8 mi awayChinook Entrance ArchA 90-foot CCC gateway doubles as a Pacific Crest Trail crossing.
Visitor center · 4.7 mi awayWhite River Wilderness Information CenterGet permits, maps, and trail advice before heading toward Sunrise.
Sight · 4.9 mi awayGrove of the PatriarchsOld-growth conifers on a small island in the Ohanapecosh RiverParkwolf’s Mount Rainier ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
