Glisan Falls

Glisan Falls is a low volume waterfall found on a seasonal stream which pours down the side of the Cowlitz River valley near the toe of the Cowlitz Glacier in Mount Rainier National Park. The falls drop approximately 200 feet in a sheer plunge over a cliff of andesite which runs nearly perpendicular to the overlying cliff bands in the area, with broad meadows above the falls and the lateral moraine of the Cowlitz Glacier just below. There is no developed access anywhere near this waterfall, and up-close views require extensive off-trail travel in rough terrain that should not be attempted by inexperienced hikers. Because the drainage area of the stream which forms Glisan Falls is so small - just one-tenth of a square mile (about 60 acres) in size, the stream is both short-lived and quite small in size even at peak flow. The falls being positioned at at relatively high elevation on Mount Rainier results in a significant volume of winter snow precipitating in the basin above the falls, and the melt season will last for 3-4 months as a result. However once the snow in its basin has melted off (possibly even before all the snow has melted, given behavior we've seen on similarly sized streams nearby), the falls will dry out completely as there is no other permanent source of water feeding the stream.Despite this part of Mount Rainier National Park having received some exploratory attention around the turn of the 20th century, we have not yet uncovered any evidence that this waterfall has ever been named previously - either officially or unofficially. We've proposed the name Glisan Falls in honor of Rodney L. Glisan, a photographer and member of The Mazamas who was instrumental in early documentation of parts of Mount Rainier National Park, including Columnar Falls which is located just a stone's throw away from the top of this waterfall.