Comet Falls
Washington · 381-foot drop · Mount Rainier National Park · Last verified 2026-05-15
Comet Falls is at 1,320 cfs of flow today, on the upper end of typical conditions.
Right now
Streamflow
1,320 cfs
COWLITZ RIVER AT PACKWOOD, · 1h ago
Overnight
45°F
Clear
Saturday
69°F
Sunny
Today's daylight
Sunrise 5:12 AM · Sunset 9:01 PM · 15h 49m
Other park alerts
Snapshot built 14m ago. Sources: USGS · NWS SEW.
Comet Falls is a waterfall in Pierce County, Washington. It drops roughly 381 feet. Access details and conditions have not yet been verified in person by Fallspots — the data on this page comes from OpenStreetMap and USGS GNIS.
Comet Falls is a tall waterfall located on Van Trump Creek in Pierce County, Washington. The falls are thought to be the best in the Mount Rainier region.
Is the water flowing right now?
Most waterfall sites don't tell you this. The waterfall itself is almost never gauged, but a USGS streamgage in the same watershed can tell you whether snowmelt has started, peaked, or run dry.
USGS gage 14226500 · 13.5 mi away
COWLITZ RIVER AT PACKWOOD, WA
— Distant gauge — proxy reading, not on the same drainage.
View live discharge data →
30-day streamflow
Near 30-day average↻ Same date last year: 1,820 cfs · 73% of last year — significantly drier
Compare to nearby falls
If this one isn't the right fit, here's how it stacks up against the closest documented falls. Every column is filterable on the site — not buried in 13,000 reviews.
| Waterfall | Distance | Height | Trail | Dogs | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comet Falls (this page) | — | 381 ft | — | N | — |
| Bloucher Falls | 0 mi | 121 ft | — | N | — |
| Upper Comet Falls | 0 mi | — | — | N | — |
| Kautz Creek Falls | 1 mi | 394 ft | — | N | — |
| Pearl Falls | 1 mi | — | — | N | — |
| Christine Falls | 1 mi | 69 ft | — | N | — |
Related waterfalls
On the same watercourse (Van Trump Creek)
- Christine Falls69 ft
Similar height (~381 ft)
- Upper Stevens Creek Falls375 ft
- Kautz Creek Falls394 ft
- Sunray Falls394 ft
- Yocum Ridge Falls394 ft
- Middle Wallace Falls367 ft
Questions visitors ask about Comet Falls
Answers built from our structured data. If a question isn't here, the fact is unverified — we'd rather omit than guess.
How tall is Comet Falls?
Comet Falls is 381 feet (116 m) tall. Source heights disagree by source — see the discrepancy box on the page.
Is Comet Falls in a national or state park?
Yes — Comet Falls is inside Mount Rainier National Park. See the park page for fees, hours, and current conditions.
Can I bring my dog to Comet Falls?
No — dogs are not allowed on trails here. Most National Park trails prohibit pets to protect wildlife. Service animals are an exception per ADA.
How far is Comet Falls from a major city?
Comet Falls is 11 miles from Ashford (about 16 minutes' drive).
More waterfalls in Washington
Where it is
46.7961, -121.7804
Sources and live status
Where we got the data, and where to check current conditions before you drive.
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comet_Falls
Wikidata (Q37290)
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q37290
GeoNames (5790689)
https://www.geonames.org/5790689/
Last verified by Fallspots: 2026-05-15
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