Cougar Falls

Location

Cougar Falls: 46.7599 N, 121.6286 W

USGS Topo: Mount Rainier East

Directions

To get to this watefall, located in Mt Rainier National Park, drive ~9.9 miles west along Stevens Canyon Road (WA-706) from the intersection with WA-123 to the Nickel Creek bridge and park at the turnout just northwest of the bridge. A well used but unmaintained trail descends downstream (off the western side of the creek) and skirts the rocks. When I was here, I only went a little ways along this trail not knowing that this waterfall was actually still downstream. According to the World Waterfall Database, "In several places, the trail seems to end at the rim of the canyon, but it continues, paralleling the canyon, at a slightly higher level, until it eventually peters out in open forest a short distance further. The safest spot to view the falls is actually along the canyon rim about halfway between the falls and the point where Nickel Creek flows into the Cowlitz River. Scrambling down to the viewpoint my picture was taken from is very dangerous (I've taken a spill here more than once - one time just barely escaping serious injury) and ill advised."