Mary Belle Falls

Mary Belle Falls is one of two waterfalls along the upper reach of Nickel Creek that remains a bit of a mystery. The falls have been marked on maps dating back as far as 1916, but there seems to be very little (if any) evidence of exactly which waterfall was meant to carry this name. The current 1:24,000 USGS Mount Rainier East topographic quadrangle marks the falls at the 5250 foot level, and there is a waterfall at this point on Nickel Creek. However there is also another waterfall just upstream around the 5400 foot level, and this is what we suspect to be the actual Mary Belle Falls. The waterfall identified at this location drops a total of 110 feet over a linear run of about 200 feet in several steps. The first two tiers drop 24 and 26 feet in back-to-back horsetail style falls after emerging from a short section of forest in an otherwise meadow-covered valley. Below this the creek sheets down a long smooth cascade and then finally plunges at its base for another 66 feet. Because of the shallow angle of descent of the cascading portion of the falls, the upper tiers are not easy to see from the base of the falls (at least when the stream isn't swollen with snow melt). The basin upstream of this waterfall is exceedingly small, covering only about one-tenth of a square mile in area, and ranging in elevation from 5400 feet to about 5900 feet above sea level. Despite the heavy winter snow pack which Mount Rainier receives, because of the open exposure of this basin (which is almost entirely alpine meadows) and the lack of permanent snow or ice to feed the creek, the volume of the stream will dwindle quickly once the snow has melted out for the season. When surveyed in early August 2017 the creek was found to be flowing with slightly more than what could be deemed a trickle of water. It is expected that by the end of August the falls may dry out entirely in most years.Mary Belle Falls were named by former superintendent of Mount Rainier National Park Ethan Allen for Mary Belle Hall, one of three daughters of Edward S. Hall, the first superintendent of Mount Rainier National Park. Because it's not clear which waterfall was meant to bear this name we are making an educated guess based on the consistent fact that both Mary Belle and Marie Falls have been marked on maps in the same fashion - Mary Belle Falls being the upstream of the pair. Given the presence of another waterfall a short distance downstream of this location (which we suspect is the most likely candidate to be Marie Falls) we feel it logical that the upstream of this pairing is the correct waterfall to bear Mary Belle Hall's name.