Sight · Mount Rainier National Park
A 34-foot cascade on a short spur beyond Carter Falls.
Overview
Madcap Falls is a 34-foot cascade on the Paradise River, about 100 yards upstream from Carter Falls. It works best as an add-on to the Carter Falls hike, not a separate roadside stop. The unmarked spur adds about 0.2 mile round trip, making the combined walk roughly 3 miles. If Carter Falls is already on your list, I’d take the short detour for another waterfall.
Parkwolf’s verdictWorth the extra spurMap
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
Cougar Rock: A Picnic or a Waterfall Walk“You're coming up on the Cougar Rock area, with a campground and a separate day-use picnic area beside the Nisqually River.”
Plays as you drive up to Madcap 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
Start at the Carter Falls trailhead, cross the Nisqually River on the log bridge below Cougar Rock, and follow the Wonderland Trail toward Paradise. After Carter Falls, watch for the unsigned spur to Madcap. There’s no formal roadside viewpoint; the falls are reached on foot.
The falls sit in dense forest, where white water drops over dark rock ledges into a pool. Fallen logs frame the lower edge of the cascade, and a closer composition keeps the water distinct from the trees around it. The approach follows the Paradise River beneath Douglas fir, western hemlock and western red cedar, with ferns and huckleberries along the trail.
The trailhead is across Paradise Road from Cougar Rock Campground, about 2 miles north of Longmire. Parking at the trailhead can be limited; the Cougar Rock picnic area, about 0.1 mile away, has additional parking and a privy. Don’t use campground parking unless you’re camping. The log bridge over the Nisqually often washes out in fall and winter, so check current park conditions before relying on this route. Dogs aren’t allowed on trails or along the Nisqually here.
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
ChallengingComet Falls Trail3.8 mi · 3.5 hr · 1.2 mi awayA steep creekside climb to one of Rainier’s tallest waterfalls.
ChallengingMildred Point Trail6.6 mi · 5.5 hr · 1.2 mi awayTwo waterfalls first, then a steep climb to the Kautz valley.
ChallengingComet Falls and Van Trump Park Trail5.8 mi · 4.5 hr · 1.3 mi awayWaterfall spray gives way to open meadows and big Rainier views.
ModerateCarter and Madcap Falls Trail3 mi · 2.5 hr · 1.3 mi awayTwo waterfalls and old-growth forest beyond the Nisqually log bridge.
ModeratePinnacle Peak Trail2.5 mi · 2 hr · 1.6 mi awayA short, steep climb to a saddle with Rainier views.
EasyNisqually Vista Trail1.2 mi · 45 min · 1.7 mi awayShort paved loop, big glacier views, and a few rolling climbs.
ModerateHigh Lakes Loop Trail3 mi · 2.5 hr · 1.7 mi awayA short ridge loop ends at a bluff above the lakes.
ModerateDeadhorse Creek and Moraine Trail2.5 mi · 2 hr · 1.7 mi awayWildflowers frame Rainier above the Nisqually Glacier.Sight · 0.3 mi awayCarter FallsCross a log bridge for Rainier views before the forest waterfall
Sight · 0.9 mi awayRicksecker PointA one-third-mile loop pairs Rainier views with glacial geology.
Sight · 1 mi awayNarada FallsRoadside waterfall views with a short, steep path to the lower pool.
Sight · 1.1 mi awayGlacier BridgeA quick pause above the Nisqually River and its glacier-carved valley.
Sight · 1.1 mi awayInspiration PointA no-hike Rainier view framed by a century of park-road history.
Sight · 1.3 mi awayChristine FallsThe stone arch frames the lower falls from a short downhill path.
Picnic area · 1.3 mi awayCougar Rock Picnic AreaA handy forest picnic stop, with grills and more than 30 tables.
Campground · 1.3 mi awayCougar Rock CampgroundA forested base with the Wonderland Trail across the road.Parkwolf’s Mount Rainier ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
