Teeley Falls

Teeley Falls is a moderately tall, but low volume waterfall which is found at the headwaters of Teeley Creek high up on Sawtooth Ridge, southwest of Mount Rainier. The falls drop 146 feet over the headwall below Granite Lake, with the creek cascading steeply down a talus slope covered head to toe in Devils Club below the falls. The falls pour off the top of the cliff and twist about 30-degrees to the left as it veils over the cliff, then about 3/4 of the way down the fall it twists again to the left, creating a natural corkscrew motion through the length of the fall. During periods of higher flow, the middle section of the falls veils out fairly broadly in between the two locations where the water twists. At this point in its basin, Teeley Creek is quite small, as the head of the creek is split between Granite and Bertha May Lakes, plus runoff from the slopes to the west of the lakes. The drainage area which feeds into the falls is just one-quarter of a square mile in area, with Granite Lake accounting for about 26 acres of that. The elevation of the basin ranges from about 4000 feet up to just shy of 5000 feet along the summit of Sawtooth Ridge, so significant winter snow can be expected which will help to ensure a modest to good flow in the falls for the duration of the spring. However considering how small the drainage area is above the falls, once the winter snow pack has melted off, the volume of the stream flowing out of Granite Lake will be reduced almost exponentially and will likely dry out completely by the end of July, if not earlier.