Royal Basin Falls

Royal Basin Falls is an often overlooked but exceptionally scenic waterfall found in it's namesake basin at the eastern edge of Olympic National Park. At the falls, the headwaters of Royal Creek cascade down a 61-foot tall step in two veiling segments which merge into one halfway down the falls. Early in the warm season a considerable volume of water can descend the falls, saturating the immediate surroundings in a thick mist. This has allowed moss to flourish around the falls even more than in the rest of the immediate forest, making the falls and its immediate proximity remarkably lush and verdant. Royal Creek heads in two small glaciers (or perhaps glacial remnants at this point in time) nestled above the upper part of Royal Basin - one on the northeast side of Mount Deception and the other in the narrow valley between Mounts Clark and Johnson almost due west from the falls. These two sources of melt provide ample flow for Royal Creek throughout the year, however as much of the upper basin is covered in huge boulders and talus fields, the water percolates underground for some distance before emerging full bore near the top of the falls. For this reason, those who visit Upper Royal Basin may find the amount of surface water in the stream to be considerably less than what is observed descending the falls.It isn't clear whether the name Royal Basin Falls is historically correct on a long-term timeline, however it is a name that has been in use for at least 30-40 years, and we believe it to be the correct term which the Park Rangers use to refer to the falls as well.