Sylvia Falls

Sylvia Falls is found directly along the Wonderland Trail in the middle of Stevens Canyon, and can be accessed from either end. The upper trailhead is situated 2.9 miles east of Reflection Lakes just past a small pullout below The Bench (the trail sign is small and hard to see, so watch for the pullout), and the lower end is accessed from the Box Canyon Picnic Area, itself about half of a mile west of the Box Canyon proper. From the upper trailhead, hike down the Wonderland Trail for 1.6 miles to the obvious but unsigned viewpoint for the falls. Note that presently this route involves crossing a roughly 200-foot wide active slide area about one-third of a mile east of Martha Falls which may or may not be passable. If starting from the Box Canyon Picnic Area, take the Stevens Creek Trail from the north end of the parking lot down to its intersection with the Wonderland Trail in a half mile, then continue west (toward Maple Creek camp) on the Wonderland Trail for another 2 miles to the falls.Sylvia Falls is among the least visited and least recognized of Mount Rainier National Park's front-country waterfalls, despite being visible along the frequently traveled around-the-mountain Wonderland Trail. The falls are found along Stevens Creek about mid-way through Stevens Canyon where the stream intersects a step in the volcanic bedrock. The creek makes a sharp bend into a narrow trough in the bedrock, and then plunges 43 feet at an unusual angle over the ledge, with the majority of water shooting more or less straight ahead from the trough, but the ledge is broad enough that the falls spread outward into a veiling shape, with the right side of the falls plunging over an undercut portion of the cliff (it's difficult to both describe and understand from photographs - seen in person it becomes more clear that the angle of descent is a bit strange. We should also note that the USGS Mount Rainier East 7.5-inch Quadrangle incorrectly marks Sylvia Falls as being situated about 370 feet further upstream than in reality. Another small waterfall along Stevens Creek, dropping about 15-feet, can be distantly seen from the Wonderland Trail about one-fifth of a mile downstream of Sylvia Falls. Trees encroach the falls as viewed from the trail as it passes through a slide area, and it's distant enough that photographs simply aren't worth it, but the roar of the descent is certainly audible. Thick brush prevents closer views of this fall.Sylvia Falls is said to have been named by former park ranger William Stafford, for a female acquaintance - whether romantically or not is not known.