Sight · Olympic National Park
A quick, mossy waterfall stop on the Quinault loop.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Olympic Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Olympic 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 Olympic audio tourRecorded for this place
Merriman Falls: A Roadside Cascade“Merriman Falls is coming up beside South Shore Road, where water drops about forty feet over a mossy, fern-covered ledge.”
Plays as you drive up to Merriman Falls in the Parkwolf Olympic 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
Merriman Falls is a roughly 40-foot waterfall beside South Shore Road near Lake Quinault, outside Olympic National Park. It makes a good quick break on the Quinault scenic loop if you want a mossy rainforest cascade; it is not a hike. Watch for the small pullout by the Merriman Creek bridge, which drivers can pass easily and has room for few cars.
You can see the cascade from the road, then walk a few yards toward its base for a closer look. Water drops over a mossy, fern-covered ledge into boulders and fallen logs. The closest angle can be wet and slippery; scrambling on rocks is optional and not needed for the main view.
Merriman Creek feeds the falls and flows toward the Quinault River. Autumn and winter rain can make the water louder and more forceful. For a photo, include the ferny ledge and boulders below the drop so you capture the whole cascade in its rainforest setting.
Wildlife
710 sightingsOlympic MarmotMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
30 sightingsHumpback WhaleMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
42 sightingsGrey WhaleMost seen around noonSighting map
23 sightingsMountain LionMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
71 sightingsMountain GoatMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
306 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 11 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Olympic. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
EasyKestner Homestead Trail1.3 mi · 45 min · 1.7 mi awayAn easy forest loop to an old homestead and orchard.
EasyMaple Glade Rain Forest Trail0.5 mi · 30 min · 1.8 mi awayMoss-draped maples and nurse logs in a gentle half-mile loop.
EasyQuinault Big Sitka Spruce Tree Trail0.4 mi · 30 min · 2.8 mi awayA short forest path leads to a towering Sitka spruce.
EasyQuinault Loop Trail #8544 mi · 2.5 hr · 3.6 mi awayA boardwalked bog, cascading falls, and Lake Quinault in one loop.
Ranger station · 1.7 mi awayQuinault Rain Forest Ranger StationA useful base for two short rainforest walks by Lake Quinault.
Sight · 1.7 mi awayKestner HomesteadA rainforest homestead with an orchard, old barn and flood stories.
Sight · 2.6 mi awayQuinault Big Sitka Spruce TreeA short walk to a 191-foot spruce with a 59-foot girth.
Campground · 3.1 mi awayGatton Creek CampgroundFive walk-in tent sites beside Lake Quinault.
Campground · 3.6 mi awayFalls Creek CampgroundRainforest campsites with lakeshore access and a CCC-built shelter.
Sight · 3.7 mi awayLake Quinault MuseumTwo 20-plus-foot cedar canoes anchor this small local museum.
Ranger station · 3.7 mi awaySouth Shore Quinault Ranger StationA useful stop for maps, trail advice, and wilderness permits.
Picnic area · 3.7 mi awayJuly Creek Picnic AreaA short loop to huge Douglas-firs and Lake Quinault views.Parkwolf’s Olympic ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
