Narada Falls

Drop everything

Is it plungeworthy?

159feet tall

A 2-tier horsetail on Paradise River.

Scale53/60

Documentation15/20

Character20/20

The details

Tiers: 2 drops
Type: Horsetail
Watercourse: Paradise River
Coordinates: 46.77501, -121.74625

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About Narada Falls

Narada Falls is a 159-foot horsetail in Washington, on Paradise River. The water falls in 2 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 Narada Falls 8.8/10 — drop everything. The score weighs its scale, how confidently it's mapped, and its character.

What you'll find

The Paradise road's showpiece: the Paradise River jumps 188 feet in two tiers right beside the highway, close enough that the viewpoint rail collects spray. A short, steep path drops to the full-face view, where afternoon light hangs a rainbow in the mist most clear days.

Getting there

Trailhead: Narada Falls parking area, Paradise Road at the Stevens Canyon junction
Parking: ~40-car lot with restrooms, open year-round
Road: Paved; no timed-entry reservation in 2026 — Rainier cancelled the system
Hike: 0.4 mi round trip, 200 ft of climb (easy)
Heads up: The upper rail is a no-hike view; the lower viewpoint path is short, steep, and permanently wet.

When to go

Late June through September for full flow and a snow-free path; the falls half-freeze into blue ice curtains by midwinter (the road opens mornings after plowing, closing nightly from November). Midday summer is elbow-to-elbow — gate backups build by 10am.

Rules & fees

Fee / pass: $30/vehicle Mount Rainier 7-day pass or America the Beautiful; no reservation needed in 2026
Dogs: Parking area only — not on the trail
Hours: Road closes nightly Nov 1 through spring
Camping: Cougar Rock Campground, ~7 miles toward Longmire
Warnings: The lower path is spray-slick year-round — real shoes.

Researched from NPS — Narada Falls · National Parks Traveler — Rainier cancels timed entry. Conditions change — verify before you drive. Been to Narada 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.