Comet Falls

Drop everything

Is it plungeworthy?

301feet tall

A 4-tier plunge on Van Trump Creek.

Scale60/60

Documentation15/20

Character20/20

The details

Tiers: 4 drops
Type: Tiered Plunge
Watercourse: Van Trump Creek
Coordinates: 46.7962, -121.78052

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About Comet Falls

Comet Falls is a 301-foot tiered plunge in Washington, on Van Trump Creek. The water falls in 4 distinct tiers.

Fed largely by snowmelt, it runs hardest in late spring and early summer and can thin to a trickle by late season.

Plungeworthy rates Comet Falls 9.5/10 — drop everything. The score weighs its scale, how confidently it's mapped, and its character.

What you'll find

The park's namesake-worthy plunge: Van Trump Creek freefalls 300-plus feet off a headwall, trailing spray like its name. The climb to reach it — 1,200 steady feet — keeps the roadside crowds below and delivers you to the base still cool in June snowmelt season.

Getting there

Trailhead: Van Trump Trailhead, 2 miles above Cougar Rock on the road to Paradise
Parking: Roadside lot; full by mid-morning summer weekends
Road: Paved
Hike: 3.8 mi round trip, 1,200 ft of climb (hard)
Heads up: Sustained climbing with creek footbridges partway. NPS calls it strenuous; your knees will agree on the descent.

When to go

Wait for full melt-out — mid-July through early fall. Early-season attempts cross icy chutes with avalanche exposure, and the park says so plainly. June–July snowmelt gives the biggest water.

Rules & fees

Fee / pass: $30/vehicle Rainier pass or America the Beautiful
Dogs: Not permitted
Hours: Road-dependent in winter
Camping: Cougar Rock Campground, 2 miles below
Warnings: Spray-slick rock at the base; don't push past the obvious viewpoint.

Researched from NPS — Comet Falls · WTA — Comet Falls. Conditions change — verify before you drive. Been to Comet Falls recently? Post a conditions report below.

Where it is

Before you go

The pin marks the feature, not a trailhead or a legal route in. Some sit on private land or need a real hike, and conditions change with season and rain. Check local access, don't trespass, and never enter water — hot or cold — where it isn't safe.