Crystal Mountain Falls

Take Highway 410 east from Enumclaw to Crystal Mountain Road (NFR-7166) where signs point to Crystal Mountain Resort Recreation Area, just before reaching the northern entrance to Mount Rainier National Park, then follow the road all the way to the Crystal Mountain Ski Area at its end. The falls are visible across the valley from the road at the southern end of Parking Lot C, about 6.2 miles from Highway 410.Crystal Mountain Falls is a (likely) seasonal waterfall which drops over a cliff on the east flank of Crystal Mountain near the parking lots for the Crystal Mountain Ski Area. The falls drop about 100 feet on the oppsite side of the valley from the road, and can be easily seen from the parking areas right along the road as one approaches the resort. The basin which the falls drain from covers an area of about 0.4 square mile and runs all the way to the summit of the north peak of Crystal Mountain at the 6800 foot level. The high elevation of the basin should ensure an ample snow pack in the winter to provide consistent melt water in the stream through the spring and into the early summer months, however when surveyed in early July 2017 the falls were found to be running lower than expected (after a fairly heavy snow year as well) so it seems likely that the snow in this basin may melt off quickly and the falls may be reduced to a trickle - or dry out entirely - by early to mid August in most years.