Affi Falls

Affi Falls is a rather significant waterfall found along Lodi Creek in Mount Rainier National Park where it begins a long tumultuous descent from the valley draining from Berkeley Park to the West Fork White River valley below. The falls are formed where the creek plunges 73 into a narrow chasm carved into the side of the valley, then cascades down a long boulder-strewn gorge lined with nearly sheer cliffs up to 250 feet tall. Because of the tall, precipitous cliffs which line the canyon, and the thick surrounding forest, there are unfortunately no easily accessed vistas of the falls which provide an unobstructed angle of view. When we surveyed the site in July 2017, we found it necessary to very precariously scramble down the side of the canyon wall to a ledge which allowed a clear view - this is definitely not a recommended course of action. Lodi Creek is the distributary of snow melt from Berkeley Park, draining an area of about 2.2 square miles. The entire basin is situated above the 5200-foot mark, and will receive heavy snow pack during the winter. Because of its north-facing orientation, there should be ample snow and runoff present though the early summer to ensure the falls retain a consistent flow for much of the season. However as there is no permanent snow or ice feeding into the basin, the stream's volume is expected to drop considerably by the late summer months - a few springs in the Berkeley Park area however will ensure it never runs dry.At one point this waterfall was known as Gap Falls, which may have referred to either the low height-of-land just to the west that separates Grand Park from Berkeley Park, or perhaps that Lodi Creek flows through a noteworthy gap in the cliffs at the falls. This name appeared on at least one map which was published in the early 1900s, but never took hold. The name Affi Falls had apparently been in local usage for several years prior to being formally adopted by the USGBN in 1914. The name was suggested by park ranger Thomas E. O'Farrell for the Affi Temple of Tacoma, which was constituted on September 17, 1889. The alternate spelling of Offi had apparently also been used at one point, though we have never seen this variant in print.