Lumber Mill Falls

Deer Creek is the easterly of the tree significant streams which merge at the triple junction along the Eastside Trail, cascading down from the Pacific Crest along the eastern boundary of Mount Rainier National Park. Recently it's become clear that the Deer Creek drainage harbors a huge number of previously unknown waterfalls of significant stature, several of which are not terribly difficult to access. Traveling upstream from the stone bridge over Deer Creek along Highway 123 in Mount Rainier National Park, Lumber Mill Falls is the first major waterfall encountered. The falls plunge a sheer 32 feet into a deep pool in a small basin, and then cascades down another smaller waterfall where the creek squeezes through the gorge immediately downstream (which is quite a bit more difficult to view). The basin where the falls occur has done an admirable job at trapping fallen trees and logs which have washed downstream, creating a very chaotic and messy scene and rendering the falls considerably less attractive in the process. The waterfalls in the upper Deer Creek drainage are not developed and all require off-trail travel to visit, ranging from moderate to extremely difficult bushwhacking. Those who are not seasoned in off-trail travel through brushy terrain are discouraged from visiting this area.We opted to title this previously unnamed waterfall after the fact that it seems to devour trees and logs which have fallen into its small basin.