Taos Creek Falls

Taos Creek is a tributary of the Muddy Fork Cowlitz River which drains a basin of about four and one quarter square miles on the east side of the Tatoosh Range, between Stevesn Peak and Tatoosh Peak in Mount Rainier National Park. Taos Creek enters the Cowlitz in the third of four major canyons along the river between the Cowlitz Glacier and the confluence with the Clear Fork near Packwood, plunging over this scenic 87-foot tall, up to 45 foot wide curtain type waterfall that drops directly into the Muddy Fork from the flanking canyon wall. The width of the falls does not appear likely to vary much due to the smooth, uniform cliff which the falls drop over, however given the amount of snow which can fall in the basin above it would be conceivable that the falls may stretch to considerably broader dimensions in the spring and early summer months. The boundary of Mount Rainier National Park follows the Muddy Fork past Taos Creek Falls, so it could be argued that the falls actually straddle the boundary of the National Park and the Tatoosh Wilderness Area - however since the falls are viewed from within the park we will continue to list them as part of the park itself.