Fairy Falls
Washington · height not recorded · Mount Rainier National Park · Last verified 2026-05-15
Fairy Falls is running at 2,070 cfs — well above seasonal normal. June averages 5 snow days here.
Right now
Streamflow
2,070 cfs
COWLITZ RIVER AT PACKWOOD, · 1h ago
Overnight
32°F
Light Snow
Wednesday
42°F
Chance Light Snow then Mostly Sunny
Today's daylight
Sunrise 5:12 AM · Sunset 8:59 PM · 15h 47m
Other park alerts
Snapshot built 13m ago. Sources: USGS · NWS SEW.
No verified photo yet
Fairy Falls is a waterfall in Pierce County, Washington. Height has not been officially recorded. Access details and conditions have not yet been verified in person by Fallspots — the data on this page comes from OpenStreetMap and USGS GNIS.
Fairy Falls is a waterfall in the Mount Rainier National Park in Pierce County, Washington. The falls are fed by an unnamed watercourse, which is a tributary of the Cowlitz River. The falls drop about 680 feet (210 m) into a narrow, wooden canyon in a horsetail form about 20 feet (6.1 m) wide.
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 · 12.6 mi away
COWLITZ RIVER AT PACKWOOD, WA
— Distant gauge — proxy reading, not on the same drainage.
View live discharge data →
30-day streamflow
Above 30-day average↻ Same date last year: 3,110 cfs · 77% of last year — similar
When to go (from the climate data, not our opinion)
Monthly averages from Open-Meteo's reanalysis dataset (2020–2024). Highlighted months are when we think the waterfall is at its best — but the numbers are the numbers regardless.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip (in) | Snow days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29 | 20 | 20 | 23 |
| Feb | 27 | 17 | 14.1 | 22 |
| Mar | 31 | 19 | 8 | 20.6 |
| Apr | 36 | 22 | 6.7 | 17.6 |
| May | 44 | 29 | 4.4 | 12.6 |
| Jun | 54 | 37 | 4.3 | 5 |
| Jul | 67 | 44 | 0.5 | 0 |
| Aug | 66 | 46 | 1 | 0 |
| Sep | 60 | 41 | 3.8 | 0.8 |
| Oct | 46 | 31 | 8.6 | 9 |
| Nov | 32 | 22 | 17.3 | 18.8 |
| Dec | 29 | 20 | 17.6 | 21.8 |
Source: Open-Meteo Historical Weather API · ERA5 reanalysis 2020–2024.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairy Falls (this page) | — | — | — | N | — |
| Upper Stevens Creek Falls | 0 mi | 375 ft | — | N | — |
| Sluiskin Falls | 1 mi | — | — | N | — |
| Paradise Falls | 1 mi | — | — | N | — |
| Golden Gate Falls | 1 mi | — | — | N | — |
| Sunbeam Falls | 1 mi | — | — | N | — |
Questions visitors ask about Fairy Falls
Answers built from our structured data. If a question isn't here, the fact is unverified — we'd rather omit than guess.
Is Fairy Falls in a national or state park?
Yes — Fairy Falls is inside Mount Rainier National Park. See the park page for fees, hours, and current conditions.
Can I bring my dog to Fairy 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 Fairy Falls from a major city?
Fairy Falls is 13 miles from Packwood (about 18 minutes' drive).
More waterfalls in Washington
Where it is
46.7945, -121.6995
Sources and live status
Where we got the data, and where to check current conditions before you drive.
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairy_Falls_(Washington)
Wikidata (Q85760361)
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q85760361
Last verified by Fallspots: 2026-05-15
Been there?
Marina and Theo verify pages one road trip at a time. If you've been to Fairy Falls recently, your local knowledge improves the page for everyone. Pick the kind of contribution that fits — every email lands in our inbox and gets read (and credited when we publish).
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