Information about this hike provided in partnership with
Mountaineers Books.
Copyright © Dan A. Nelson/The Mountaineers Books Comet Falls
Many claim this two-step falls is the most beautiful waterfall in the park. The 320-foot cascade fans out as it crashes down the basalt cliffs, providing a spectacular show of force and beauty. The trail to this natural wonder climbs the steep valley of Van Trump Creek, offering little along the way other than an experience in the forest primeval. But once you reach the waterfall basin, that overly average trail suddenly seems exceptional.
The trail climbs steeply away from the road, piercing the dense old-growth forest of the Van Trump valley. In 0.5 mile, the trail crosses Van Trump Creek--beyond that point, the pitch eases a bit. The trail continues to climb, just not as steeply as during that initial 0.5 mile. Beyond the creek crossing, the trail traverses across the base of a few active avalanche chutes. Each year, snowslides scour these slopes, creating new and unique challenges for hikers each spring. You might find yourself hopping through downed trees or scrambling over jumbled rocks if you visit before the trail crews get in to repair the damage. You cross Falls Creek at around 2.3 miles, and just past this point you'll see the lower cascade of Comet Falls. At about 2.5 miles, leave the main trail and angle off onto a side track on the left to access the plunge pool at the base of the falls. Enjoy the view before returning the way you came.
Driving Directions:
From Tacoma, drive east on State Route 7 to Elbe, then veer left onto SR 706 to enter the park at the Nisqually Entrance near Ashford. Continue east 10 miles to the parking area on the left (north) side of the road, found just before the road passes over Christine Falls bridge. Recent Trip Reports
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Day hike
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Snow on trail
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Brrrr! This was a wonderful hike but the trail was icy so those steep areas felt a little scary. O...
Brrrr! This was a wonderful hike but the trail was icy so those steep areas felt a little scary. Our goal was to hike the trails around Paradise but the road after Longmire was a sheet of ice in places - so we turned around and headed back to the Comet Falls Trailhead where we met several other parties that made the same decision.
WTA crews had worked on this trail throughout the summer and their work was superb! The stairway is magnificent and you can see vividly where the slides obliterated the entire trail in several sections. This was a family hike that included my sister, brother-in-law, brother, brother's partner, and parents - and we were constantly in awe of the icy river. As you can see from the photo, the ice was just starting to form on the edges so the impact was quite mysterious. Despite the cold, we enjoyed a quick picnic and then headed back to Ashford where we had rented a cabin for the night (the Cornerstone was lovely). We had dinner (and pie) at our favorite Copper Creek Inn and on our return home we stopped in Elbe at the beautiful little church my mother attended growing up - and at the Cottage Bakery and Cafe in Eatonville where owner Laurie served us excellent turkey cranberry sandwiches. Another wonderful adventure! Day hike
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Snow on trail
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A little fresh powder made it extra nice here.
It was just a dusting at first and an inch or two u...
A little fresh powder made it extra nice here.
It was just a dusting at first and an inch or two up higher. The trail is in good shape but does end just below Comet Falls. The view is fine there and I am thankful for those that made it possible to get there after the avalanche. We respected the sign and did not cross the cable to go farther.
Comet Falls
— Sep 02, 2012
— Sito
Day hike
Issues:
Water on trail
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Some pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/urbandisturbance/sets/72157631432236044/
We had plann...
Some pictures: http://www.flickr.com/[…]/
We had planned to go up all the way to Van Trump valley but the trail was closed at Comet Falls, due to avalanche danger. Nevertheless this was a pleasant hike without any problems. The trail is in good shape, no snow apart form the very end. It's pretty steep after a few hundred yards but only for a short while and overall not a very strenuous hike, we did it in the morning and then went up to Paradise in the afternoon for another short hike. Day hike
Issues:
Bridge out | Washouts | Snow on trail
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I took my girlfriend up here and proposed, she said yes! I knew that the full trail wouldn't be ope...
I took my girlfriend up here and proposed, she said yes! I knew that the full trail wouldn't be open because an awesome park ranger, Davis Root, hiked up a couple days before for me and told me the latest conditions. It's still a beautiful hike and we stopped to take several pictures along the way. You can hike 1.5 miles up before you reach a "Trail Closed" sign. Many people had walked past this part and the sign was untied and sitting in the bushes. If you continue just 1 more minute you'll get to what was the bridge crossing of Van Trump Creek. The bridge can now be seen but is smashed to pieces by the avalanche. However, from this point you can get a glimse of Comet Falls from afar through the trees and scramble a little further up the hillside for really impressive views of Van Trump Falls. Overall I'd say the hike is now worth it. 2 weeks from now the snow may melt where you can get down into Van Trump Creek and cross if you boulder hop, build a bridge, or have waterproof boots. The bank across is snow free for a little while but you'd eventually hit snow again and potential dangers hiding underneath. My fiancee and I will head back next year and actually reach Comet Falls!
Day hike
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Snow on trail
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My wife and I tried to hike to Comet Falls, but the creek crossing about 1/4 mile before the falls i...
My wife and I tried to hike to Comet Falls, but the creek crossing about 1/4 mile before the falls is hazardous. We aborted that hike and visited several beautiful waterfalls elsewhere on the mountain and found a fantastic viewpoint for Rainier on the east side.
The weather was cloudy until about noon, but the afternoon was fantastic. There were many hikers at all of the trailheads, but snow still presents problems above 4,000'. We also tried to hike to Faraway Rock, but a snowbridge over a creek prevented us from reaching that destination also. We had a great day in spite of the trail problems. |
WTA worked here!
2012
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