Narada Falls

From the lot, cross the stone-faced bridge and follow the steep path to the lower overlook. It is about 0.4 mile round trip, with a 200-foot descent and climb. The path is often wet and slick, and snow can cover it and make it hazardous in winter. If that is too much, the upper pullout still gives a view of the top. The trail also links south to the Wonderland Trail and north to the Lakes Trail toward Reflection Lakes or Paradise if you want to keep walking.

The Paradise River runs clear because snowfields feed it rather than debris-laden glaciers. At the falls, it drops over a relatively recent, hard andesite lava flow where it meets much older rock. The lava cooled faster where it touched the glacier ice that once filled the valley, leaving the steep rock face that frames the water.

The falls’ name was established in 1893 by the Narada Branch of the Theosophical Society of Western Washington during a Mount Rainier excursion. The present stone-faced bridge replaced an earlier 1908 bridge in 1928. The bridge and comfort station were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.

The roadside overlook and retaining wall were developed in the 1930s, when the Civilian Conservation Corps expanded the parking terrace for winter recreation. Narada Falls was a popular winter stop from the 1930s through the 1950s; after a wider road to Paradise opened in 1958, Paradise became the park’s main winter-use area.

Picnic tables and public flush restrooms are across the bridge; the restrooms are listed as accessible. No food service is listed at the falls, so plan food elsewhere if you want more than a picnic stop. For the fullest waterfall frame, go to the lower overlook. On a sunny day, the falls can be fully lit after mid-morning, and rainbows sometimes appear in the spray; include some of the dark rock wall to give the water scale.