Otter Falls
Washington · 1,200-foot drop · Alpine Lakes Wilderness · Last verified 2026-05-15
Flow at Otter Falls is 435 cfs today, around its seasonal average.
Expect dry conditions today — don't drive out for this one. Flow is at 460 cfs (bottom 0% of the last 30 days, vs. 815.6 cfs average). The 7-day NOAA forecast shows no significant rain.
Right now
Streamflow
435 cfs
SOUTH FORK SKYKOMISH RIVER · 19m ago
Overnight
51°F
Mostly Clear
Friday
69°F
Mostly Sunny
Today's daylight
Sunrise 5:18 AM · Sunset 9:03 PM · 15h 45m
Snapshot built 7m ago. Sources: USGS · NWS SEW.
Otter Falls is a waterfall in King County, Washington. It drops roughly 1,200 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.
Otter Falls sits in King County, Washington. It drops along The drainage of Otter Creek. The falls are inside Alpine Lakes Wilderness. The base sits at roughly 2,509 feet of elevation. Drive time is about 18 minutes from Baring. OpenStreetMap shows a trail within 270 meters of the marked location, though the name isn't recorded. 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 and USGS GNIS.
Entry is free. Dogs on leash are welcome on the access trail.
Otter Falls is a waterfall in King County, Washington; on the southern wall of Mount Anderson. It drops about 1,600 feet (490 m) in all, but due to the relatively moderate pitch of the mountainside, only about 1/3 of the total height can be seen from the ground. The drainage of Otter Creek, which feeds the falls, is fairly small, and consists mostly of granite which does not retain water. Therefore, the waterfall relies entirely on snowmelt to flow and often dries up by July.
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 12131500 · 9.7 mi away
SOUTH FORK SKYKOMISH RIVER AT SKYKOMISH, WA
View live discharge data →
30-day streamflow
Below 30-day average↻ Same date last year: 535 cfs · 86% of last year — similar
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otter Falls (this page) | — | 1,200 ft | — | Y | Free |
| Big Creek Falls | 1 mi | 236 ft | — | Y | Free |
| Florence Falls | 4 mi | — | — | Y | Free |
| Florence Falls | 4 mi | 141 ft | — | Y | Free |
| Nine Hour Falls | 5 mi | — | — | Y | Free |
| Pumpkinseed Creek Falls | 5 mi | — | — | Y | Free |
Side-by-side comparisons
Otter Falls compared head-to-head with other documented falls — height, access, fees, dogs, swimmability in one row each.
Related waterfalls
Similar height (~1200 ft)
- Chagoopa Falls1,201 ft
- Silver Cord Cascade1,214 ft
- Lehamite Falls1,181 ft
- Royal Arch Cascade1,247 ft
- Big Heart Falls1,262 ft
Questions visitors ask about Otter 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 Otter Falls?
Otter Falls is 1,200 feet (365.8 m) tall. Height is sourced from OSM.
Is Otter Falls in a national or state park?
Yes — Otter Falls is inside Alpine Lakes Wilderness. We inferred this from OpenStreetMap protected-area polygons; if you find we got the boundary wrong, please report it. See the park page for fees, hours, and current conditions.
Can I bring my dog to Otter Falls?
Yes — dogs are allowed (Alpine Lakes Wilderness permits leashed dogs in most areas). Inferred from park type; check the official site for trail-specific restrictions. Always leash and pack out waste.
Is there a fee to visit Otter Falls?
No entrance fee. Alpine Lakes Wilderness is free to access. Some trailheads may charge a parking fee separately.
How far is Otter Falls from a major city?
Otter Falls is 12 miles from Baring (about 18 minutes' drive).
More waterfalls in Washington
Where it is
47.5900, -121.4677
Sources and live status
Where we got the data, and where to check current conditions before you drive.
Official land manager
https://www.waterfallsnorthwest.com/waterfall/Otter-Falls-4597
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otter_Falls_(Washington)
Wikidata (Q37451)
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q37451
GeoNames (5805893)
https://www.geonames.org/5805893/
Last verified by Fallspots: 2026-05-15
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