Lower Crater Creek Falls

Lower Crater Creek Falls is accessed from the end of the Mowich Lake Road in Mount Rainier National Park. From Highway 410 in Buckley, take Highway 165 toward Wilkeson, Carbonado, and the Carbon River Ranger Station. About 3-1/2 miles south of Carbonado, just after crossing the rickety one-lane Fairfax Bridge over the Carbon River Gorge, veer right (uphill) where the road splits - signs point the way to Mowich Lake and Evans Creek ORV area, and then follow the road to its end at Mowich Lake in another 16 bumpy miles. The falls are found about 600 feet downstream of where the road crosses the outlet of Mowich Lake leading to the walk-in campground. Find the wonderland Trail adjacent to the restrooms, and head two switchbacks down to a bridge over a dry stream channel, then head downhill toward the sound of the falls. The descent down is steep in places, but almost entirely brush free.Lower Crater Creek Falls is a markedly secondary waterfall found a short distance away from the popular Mowich Lake area in Mount Rainier National Park. The falls cascade 28 feet over a gradually sloped ledge of dark, blocky volcanic bedrock just upstream from where the Wonderland Trail crosses Crater Creek as it descends from Mowich Lake to the North Mowich River. Unlike the larger falls just upstream, this one can be viewed from the trail with minimum effort, however there is a large log laying across part of the falls which partially obscures the view from the trail, so scrambling a few dozen yards upstream will allow for a better perspective. Crater Creek is a fairly small stream, and while Mowich Lake is itself large enough to ensure a slow and steady outflow for much of the summer, the drainage area feeding the lake is limited. A small inlet stream draining from Knapsack Pass will ensure that the falls on the outlet of the lake flow with a decent volume for much of the summer, but by the autumn months the flow may dwindle to a trickle.