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Narada Falls to Reflection Lakes

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Narada Falls in the midst of the Paradise River pounds down into a deep plunge pool, sending out a curtain of spray that provides a refreshingly cool breeze to hikers on this route. You hike the falls from top to bottom before climbing through salmonberry brambles and rich forest ecosystems to reach the upper trailhead at Reflection Lakes. This section of the Wonderland Trail gets relatively little use, so even though it's so close to the maddening crowds of Paradise tourists, the odds are good that you'll share the trail with few other hikers.

From the parking lot, cross the river above the thundering falls on the large stone bridge. Once over the river, descend along the trail leading downstream. In about 0.1 mile, you skirt along the lower reaches of the plunge pool at the base of the falls. Another 0.1 mile farther on, you hit a junction with the Wonderland Trail.

Turn left onto the Wonderland and begin climbing through sun-dappled slopes above the river. Juicy orange salmonberries can be found here in mid-July.

At about 0.75 mile, the trail swings into a series of switchbacks and climbs into a rich forest zone before cresting the ridge and starting a 0.5-mile-long traverse parallel to and below the Road to Paradise. The trail pops out of the woods onto the road at 1.5 miles at the western end of the Reflection Lakes.

Turn around at the lakes and return to Narada Falls.
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 along the Nisqually Road to the Narada Falls parking area found on the right.

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Note: the description and driving directions for this Mountaineers Books entry are copyrighted and can't be changed.

Recent Trip Reports

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There are 30 trip reports for this hike. See all trip reports for this hike.
Narada Falls to Reflection Lakes — Mar 23, 2013 — Kahrin
Snowshoe/XC Ski
Issues: Avalanche danger
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When they say this trail is spectacular, they aren't kidding. We had absolutely beautiful views. Mt ...
When they say this trail is spectacular, they aren't kidding. We had absolutely beautiful views. Mt Rainier looked like a giant right in front of us for part of the trail (on the way back). It turned out to be a clear sunny day. It was very warm when you were out of the trees. Soon we had to start taking some layers off. We saw about 25 other people on the trail. Though the parking lot was pretty full. A few were XC skiers. In some areas the snow was very sticky. Avalanche danger was moderate.
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Narada Falls to Reflection Lakes — Mar 09, 2013 — Hikingqueen
Day hike
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Beautiful Saturday and tons of people flocked to Rainier, I don't blame them a bit! Temps were chill...
Beautiful Saturday and tons of people flocked to Rainier, I don't blame them a bit! Temps were chilly 20's when we started but quickly warmed up and felt in the 50's within an hour. We walked the road past the avalanche area going in and took the long way back via lakes trail. Good time for all. Plenty of camp robbers around the lake. Nice trench today. I hadn't been out in a few weeks and that was just what i needed. Good times by all. Now i'm ready for spring flowers...
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Narada Falls to Reflection Lakes — Feb 24, 2013 — Comrade Alita
Snowshoe/XC Ski
Issues: Snow on trail
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My first trip to Reflection Lakes on snowshoe. A storm had blown through Rainier Nat'l Park on the 2...
My first trip to Reflection Lakes on snowshoe. A storm had blown through Rainier Nat'l Park on the 23rd, making for loads of fresh new snow, and avalanche danger. We were warned away from using the road around Inspiration Point by the park ranger because of the possibility of starting an avalanche. The hike up is harder than the hike back...on this trail you start near Narada Falls go over a ridge to the Lakes on the other side. Visibility was low, and the lake itself was covered in snow. It wasnt as scenic as I had hoped but it was still a good hike.
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Narada Falls to Reflection Lakes, Narada Falls — Sep 06, 2012 — Washington Trails Association
Day hike
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A section of Narada Falls Trail will be closed from September 6 through September 21, 2012 (Monday t...
A section of Narada Falls Trail will be closed from September 6 through September 21, 2012 (Monday through Saturday) due to rock fall hazard from Stevens Canyon Road construction. The trail will be closed from the bridge where it intersects the Longmire-Paradise Road to its intersection with the Wonderland Trail, and includes the short trail spur from the Narada Falls restroom down to the Falls viewpoint.

During the closure, hikers will not be able to access the Narada Falls parking lot by hiking from Paradise down via the Lakes Trail. This closure may be extended depending on progress for the roadwork. This section of trail will be open to the public Sundays (Sept. 9 and Sept. 16), as construction work will not be occurring on those days.

For more info: http://www.nps.gov/[…]/narada-falls-trail-temporary-closure.htm
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Narada Falls to Reflection Lakes — Apr 07, 2012 — banana slug
Day hike
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What a great day to snowshoe while absorbing the spectacular views of Mount Rainier. We started at ...
What a great day to snowshoe while absorbing the spectacular views of Mount Rainier. We started at Narada Falls parking lot and followed the black and orange markers through the trees up to Stevens Canyon Road. Snow conditions were perfect.

We stopped for lunch above Louise Lake and were joined by two small groups of showshoers and some hopeful Gray Jays. On our return we met showshoers with overnight packs and toboggans planning an overnight stay. Could have been quite the party at Reflection Lake with all the gear that passed us.

The road from Longmire up to Paradise is clear and chains were not needed.
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reflection lakes schiefelbein.jpg
Reflection Lakes. Photo copyright Dave Schiefelbein.
Location
Mt. Rainier -- SE - Longmire / Paradise
Mt Rainier National Park
Statistics
Roundtrip 3.0 miles
Elevation Gain 500 ft
Highest Point 4900 ft
Features
Rivers
Lakes
Waterfalls
Old growth
Mountain views
User info
Good for kids
Dogs not allowed
National Park/Refuge entry fee required
Guidebooks & Maps
Day Hiking: Mt. Rainier National Park Trails (Nelson & Bauer - Mountaineers Books)
Green Trails Paradise
No. 270S; Contact: Longmire Wilderness Information Center
(360) 569-4453

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Note: the description and driving directions for this Mountaineers Books entry are copyrighted and can't be changed.

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Red MarkerNarada Falls to Reflection Lakes
46.7752666667 -121.74655
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