Myrtle Falls

Worth the drive

Is it plungeworthy?

72feet tall

A horsetail on Edith Creek.

Scale45/60

Documentation15/20

Character14/20

The details

Type: Horsetail
Watercourse: Edith Creek
Coordinates: 46.79121, -121.73235

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About Myrtle Falls

Myrtle Falls is a 72-foot horsetail in Washington, on Edith Creek.

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

Plungeworthy rates Myrtle Falls 7.4/10 — worth the drive. The score weighs its scale, how confidently it's mapped, and its character.

What you'll find

Sixty feet of Edith Creek dropping through a notch with Mount Rainier's entire summit stacked behind it — the most photographed composition in the Northwest, and it costs a half-mile paved stroll from the Paradise lot. During the late-July wildflower bloom the meadows around it go full Sound of Music.

Getting there

Trailhead: Paradise (Jackson Visitor Center / Paradise Inn), via the paved Skyline Trail
Parking: Big paved lots at Paradise; full by mid-morning in summer
Road: Paved to Paradise; no timed-entry reservation in 2026, cashless $30 gate
Hike: 0.8 mi round trip, 185 ft of climb (easy)
Heads up: Stroller-friendly pavement to the top of the falls; the classic viewpoint itself is down a short stairway (steps only).

When to go

Mid-July through September, once 640 annual inches of snow finally melt off; the bloom window (late July into early August) is peak everything, crowds included. Under snow the falls disappear entirely — winter visits are ranger-led snowshoe territory.

Rules & fees

Fee / pass: $30/vehicle Mount Rainier 7-day pass or America the Beautiful; no reservation in 2026
Dogs: Not permitted on trails
Hours: Road closes nightly in winter
Camping: Cougar Rock Campground, ~7 miles toward Longmire
Warnings: Spring lingering snow hides the drop-offs near the falls — the park calls it treacherous until full melt-out. Stay on the path.

Researched from NPS — Myrtle Falls · WTA — Myrtle Falls. Conditions change — verify before you drive. Been to Myrtle 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.