Tolmie Creek Falls

Tolmie Creek Falls is a waterfall of surprisingly impressive stature found just outside of the northwest corner of Mount Rainier National Park. The falls drop 164 feet total in a run of about 180 feet, and stretch from about 20 feet wide at its crest to as much as 75 feet in width over multiple side-by-side segments at its base. The falls shift from a series of gradual sliding cascades at the top, which get consistently steeper for the first half of the fall, then the final 92 feet of the falls is a single, not-quite-sheer leap over the broad cliff face below. At the base of the falls the creek bends around a small natural barrier filled with numerous logs and downed trees which prevents the falls from extending for another 20 or so feet in height. Though Tolmie Creek is not a very small stream, its basin is limited in capacity to slowly release water through the summer months. A good sized marshy area is found not too far upstream of the falls, but the basin feeding the falls encompasses all of about 2.3 square miles, extending from about 3,300 feet to 5,700 feet above sea level. The higher elevations will capture a good volume of snow in the winter and help ensure the falls flow powerfully in the spring and early summer, but by August expect the flow to be significantly reduced (we surveyed the falls in mid July).The proximity of this waterfall to an old logging road as well as the border of Mount Rainier National Park leads us to suspect it may have been graced with a recognized name at some point or another, but thus far we haven't seen any such documentation.