Lower Marmot Creek Falls

Marmot Creek sources in several small snowfields in Seattle Park below what's left of the Flett Glacier on the northwest flank of Mount Rainier. Though not a terribly large stream, it is the largest tributary to Cataract Creek, itself one of the major tributaries of the Carbon River within the National Park. As Marmot Creek makes its final descent to join Cataract Creek it plunges over a series of waterfalls into an impressive gorge. The final fall in the series, also the largest, drops 93 feet in a sliding horsetail type fall that veils out at the top, then abruptly constricts on a ledge not quite halfway down. The base of the falls terminates in a tiny pool not feet from Cataract Creek itself. Perhaps most striking is the fact that when viewing the falls from the precarious canyon-rim viewpoint, one can view this waterfall in tandem with a through-the-trees glimpse of Cataract Falls about 400 feet further upstream in the canyon. There are unfortunately no clear views of the two falls together, which would otherwise make a rather spectacular scene, so please avoid attempting to achieve such a view as one would easily be put into more dangerous positions than necessary in doing so.Considering that Cataract Falls occurs just a few hundred yards away and the two falls can be viewed in tandem, we would not be surprised if this waterfall was once graced with a name of some kind. However thus far there has been no such documentation suggesting so.