Spray Falls

Spray Falls is a 354-foot waterfall on Spray Creek in Mount Rainier's Mowich Lake area. It pours over a lava cliff in a broad, veil-like sheet above a boulder-strewn gorge. This is a worthwhile pick if you want a real waterfall hike, not a quick roadside stop. Allow about three hours for the usual 4-mile round trip, with 545 feet of climbing. The trail's repeated ups and downs and the rough approach to the fullest view make it feel like more work than the elevation number suggests.

From Mowich Lake, follow the Wonderland Trail to the Spray Park Trail junction, then head east through forest to the short falls spur. The dirt singletrack rolls up and down, with stairs, roots and several creek bridges. For the fullest view, you have to scramble across Spray Creek over uneven, slippery rocks. The broad look across the water is worth stopping for, but cross only if both the creek and your footing are safe. Eagle's Cliff, about 1.5 miles from the trailhead, is another good pause: on a clear day it faces Mount Rainier and Mowich Glacier.

Spray Creek drops over a lava cliff, and the remains of Flett Glacier provide a reliable source of water. That mix of a high, steady curtain and the rocky ravine below is what makes the falls feel bigger than a thin ribbon of water from the trail.

The falls can be the turnaround, or you can keep climbing on steep switchbacks into Spray Park. In the height of summer, its subalpine meadows are known for their flowers. Stay on the constructed trail and rest on rocks; the meadows are delicate and easy to damage.

The usual approach starts at Mowich Lake. Its area generally opens from mid-July to mid-October, and the unpaved road is rough, with potholes and washboard after the first three miles. Gravel parking and two vault toilets are at the starting area; the toilets have no sinks or running water. There is no food service on the route, and natural water needs treatment, so bring food and drinking water. Pets aren't allowed on park trails. An overnight trip requires a wilderness permit.