Comet Falls | World Waterfall Database

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This waterfall has been surveyed, mapped and measured in person by the World Waterfall Database.

If there was one waterfall that every visitor to Mount Rainier National Park should see, Comet Falls is it. Van Trump Creek hurtles from the lip of a lofty hanging valley, plunging in three steps flanked by lofty amphitheater cliffs of Andesite. The falls are usually cited as standing 320 feet tall - whether this figure was arrived at via trigonometric measures or topographic data or what is unknown. I had always been curious how accurate a number it was and had usually assumed it to not take into account the lower drops. Revisiting the falls in 2009 I was able to accurately measure the falls as dropping 462 feet in steps of 392, 51 and 19 feet. As has been seen in the past 10 years the falls may not retain that exact height for long. On August 14th 2001, a Glacial Debris Flow washed out of the Kautz Glacier and ran down the Van Trump Creek valley. The flow scoured the streambed clean of vegetation and in many places dug a canyon 5-20 feet deep in the soil and as a result the entire area around Comet Falls changed. The pool formerly at the base of the falls has been filled, and the streambed below the falls, which formerly resembled a sub alpine meadow, is now a 15 foot deep rocky scar on the valley floor. The floods of October 2003 appear to have removed most evidence of the muddy debris flow, but the scars left behind were only amplified. The lowermost tier of the falls, which technically did exist prior to the debris flows, was almost buried after the 2001 floods only to be uncovered and amplified to its current state as a plunging 19 foot fall after the 2003 event. Even if a little photogenic quality was sacrificed, the opportunity to see nature so rapidly changing the landscape, not to mention a world class waterfall, should put this at the top of any visitor's to-do list.

HISTORY AND NAMES

Comet Falls is the Official name of this waterfall

Comet Falls was named for its striking resemblance to the tail of a comet during higher flow periods. Since the recession of the Van Trump Glacier, the volume of the creek has been reduced and it doesn't take on the characteristic shape as often.

Location and directions

Located between Longmire and Paradise, within Mount Rainier National Park. The Comet Falls trailhead is located 1/4 of a mile west of the bridge spanning Van Trump Creek at Christine Falls, or 2.3 miles east of the Cougar Rock Campground. The trail climbs approximately 1400 feet in the 1.7 mile hike to the falls. Van Trump Creek is crossed at 1/4 mile; Lower Van Trump Falls can be heard, but not seen, at 3/4 of a mile; Middle Van Trump Falls is passed at 1.4 miles, and the East Fork Van Trump Creek is crossed at 1.6 miles, below Bloucher Falls. Comet Falls will be visible shortly thereafter. The trail then proceeds to climb over 400 feet to Van Trump Park and Mildred Point, beyond the top of the falls.

View this location in Google Earth

Comet Falls is shown in the center. The 10 closest waterfalls within a 8km radius are shown as well (if any). Click any icon or see the list below for more information.

Additional Nearby Waterfalls

Name of Waterfall	Distance
Upper Comet Falls	0.24 mi / 0.38 km
Bloucher Falls	0.24 mi / 0.39 km
Van Trump Falls	0.29 mi / 0.47 km
Lower Van Trump Falls	0.75 mi / 1.2 km
Lower Pearl Falls	0.78 mi / 1.25 km
Middle Pearl Falls	0.87 mi / 1.39 km
Kautz Creek Falls	0.98 mi / 1.57 km
Pearl Falls	0.98 mi / 1.57 km
Christine Falls	1.05 mi / 1.68 km
East Van Trump Park Falls	1.07 mi / 1.72 km

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Photography tips

There are three or four great perspectives of the falls. The first, encountered at a bit of a distance, is best shot with a lens within the 150mm range. From near the base of the falls, a wide angle lens, at least 30mm, is recommended, and from the trail, directly in front of the main fall, the wider, the better. The falls face east, and are best lit midday to the early afternoon. By 4-ish, the falls should be completely shaded.

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Comet Falls Pierce County, Washington, United States