Kautz Creek Falls
Washington · 394-foot drop · Mount Rainier National Park · Last verified 2026-05-15
Flow at Kautz Creek Falls is 270 cfs today, around its seasonal average. September averages 4.4 snow days here.
Expect dry conditions today — don't drive out for this one. Flow is at 215 cfs (bottom 17% of the last 30 days, vs. 340.7 cfs average). The 7-day NOAA forecast shows no significant rain.
Right now
Streamflow
270 cfs
PUYALLUP RIVER NEAR ELECTRON, · 48m ago
Overnight
51°F
Mostly Cloudy
Thursday
58°F
Mostly Cloudy
Today's daylight
Sunrise 6:38 AM · Sunset 7:30 PM · 12h 53m
Other park alerts
Snapshot built 12m ago. Sources: USGS · NWS SEW.
No verified photo yet
Kautz Creek Falls is a waterfall in Washington. It drops roughly 394 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.
Kautz Creek Falls is in Washington. It drops along Kautz Creek. The falls are inside Mount Rainier National Park, a US National Park. The base sits at roughly 5,891 feet of elevation. Drive time is about 17 minutes from Ashford. No mapped trail runs within 200 meters — expect bushwhacking or off-trail navigation to reach the lip. No public parking is recorded within 2 km, so a longer approach is likely. This is one of the more frequently visited falls in the state by our popularity model. Source records come from OpenStreetMap.
Kautz Creek Falls is a waterfall on Kautz Creek in the Mount Rainier National Park in the state of Washington. It was formed when the Kautz Glacier retreated in the last 50 years, creating a series of long and slender cascades totaling about 400 feet (120 m) in height down a tall glacial cliff, with a highest drop of 150 feet (46 m). The falls consist of two parts, each with two distinct tiers. One of these parts flows from the upper lobe of the Kautz Glacier and disappears under the lower lobe. The water flowing over this stage is generally clear. As the water passes underneath the lower lobe, however; it has a muddy appearance caused by glacial moraine, which explains the muddy appearance of Kautz Creek.
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 12092000 · 13.6 mi away
PUYALLUP RIVER NEAR ELECTRON, WA
— Distant gauge — proxy reading, not on the same drainage.
View live discharge data →
30-day streamflow
Below 30-day average↻ Same date last year: 391 cfs · 55% of last year — significantly drier
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 | 19 | 21.2 | 24.8 |
| Feb | 26 | 16 | 15.5 | 22.2 |
| Mar | 28 | 18 | 9.1 | 21.4 |
| Apr | 33 | 21 | 7.7 | 17.8 |
| May | 41 | 29 | 5.8 | 16.8 |
| Jun | 50 | 36 | 4.9 | 8.2 |
| Jul | 62 | 45 | 0.7 | 0.2 |
| Aug | 62 | 45 | 1.7 | 1 |
| Sep | 56 | 41 | 4.2 | 4.4 |
| Oct | 44 | 31 | 9.1 | 12 |
| Nov | 32 | 21 | 18.1 | 20.6 |
| Dec | 29 | 19 | 18.6 | 23.6 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kautz Creek Falls (this page) | — | 394 ft | — | N | — |
| West Van Trump Park Falls | 0 mi | — | — | N | — |
| Upper Comet Falls | 1 mi | — | — | N | — |
| East Van Trump Park Falls | 1 mi | — | — | N | — |
| Comet Falls | 1 mi | 381 ft | — | N | — |
| Pearl Falls | 1 mi | — | — | N | — |
Related waterfalls
Similar height (~394 ft)
- Sunray Falls394 ft
- Yocum Ridge Falls394 ft
- Cave Falls400 ft
- Comet Falls381 ft
- Pride Glacier Falls407 ft
Questions visitors ask about Kautz Creek 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 Kautz Creek Falls?
Kautz Creek Falls is 394 feet (120 m) tall. Height is sourced from Wikidata.
Is Kautz Creek Falls in a national or state park?
Yes — Kautz Creek Falls is inside Mount Rainier National Park. See the park page for fees, hours, and current conditions.
Can I bring my dog to Kautz Creek 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 Kautz Creek Falls from a major city?
Kautz Creek Falls is 12 miles from Ashford (about 17 minutes' drive).
More waterfalls in Washington
Where it is
46.8102, -121.7826
Sources and live status
Where we got the data, and where to check current conditions before you drive.
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kautz_Creek_Falls
Wikidata (Q37287)
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q37287
Last verified by Fallspots: 2026-05-15
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Marina and Theo verify pages one road trip at a time. If you've been to Kautz Creek 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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