Fryingpan Glacier Falls

The Fryingpan Glacier, dwarfed by the neighboring Emmons Glacier, occupies the north flank of Little Tahoma Peak on Mount Rainier and produces a rather significant volume of meltwater from its various distributary streams. The largest stream emanating from the glacier only flows for about a mile before it dives underneath the toe of the Emmons Glacier to merge with the fledgling White River beneath. At the beginning of this short journey however, the stream thunders over a spectacular 460-foot waterfall as it plunges from the shelf harboring the glacier to the morainal plain below. The main falls consist of side-by-side streams, with the upper tier falling about 70 feet, the primary drop falling about 310 feet, and the remainder of the 460-foot total made up in cascades between the two. To the east of the main falls are two more, but smaller volume, melt streams which produce waterfalls as well; the middle fall plunging about 130 feet with cascades below, and the eastern fall falling about 300 feet in a "Y" shape as two streams cascade and converge into one. Because Fryingpan Glacier Falls is entirely dependent on the melt rate of the glacier itself in order to make an appearance, the falls will appear at their best during the hot summer months between July and the end of September. Additionally, depending on how the ice of the glacier settles, or moves the rocky detritus beneath the ice around, the channels of the streams may shift from time to time, so the falls may not always have the same appearance (the amount of melt water will also affect this).