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Boundary Creek Falls
   Pierce County, Washington

[ Physical Makeup ]  [ Pictures ]  [ Maps ]  [ Update History ]

Boundary Creek Falls is the second major waterfall encountered along the Owyhigh Lakes Trail when starting from Highway 123 (the first being Deer Creek Falls). The falls consist of a stair step pair of waterfalls, totaling about 40 feet, then another plunge of 10 feet, after the creek passes beneath the footbridge. The lower tier can only be seen by itself, as the upper two tiers are located in a hidden alcove, and can only be seen by rock hopping upstream for 50 feet. At the peak of snowmelt, however, Boundary Creek runs too high to rock hop (without getting wet), so the falls must be viewed from above, by following a short, beaten path to the right of the footbridge. The falls are much more impressive during the early summer, but are well worth a look any time of year.

HISTORY AND NAMING INFORMATION

  • Boundary Creek Falls is the Unofficial name of this waterfall.

Boundary Creek was named such because the original boundary of Mt. Rainier National Park was situated near the creek. The falls themselves aren't thought to have ever been officially named.

LOCATION AND DIRECTIONS

moderate access

Located near Cayuse Pass, in Mount Rainier National Park. Drive south of Cayuse Pass, along Highway 123, for 6 1/2 miles, to the signed trailhead for the Owyhigh Lakes (parking on the opposite side of the road). Start down the steep trail, passing Deer Creek Falls in 1/3 of a mile. The trail intersects the East Side Trail shortly before crossing Deer Creek and Chinook Creek then reaches another junction 1/2 a mile from the road. Here, keep straight for another 2/3 of a mile to the bridged crossing of Boundary Creek. The lower tier is below the bridge, the upper tiers can be seen by either climbing up a path to the right of the bridge and walking back, or rock hopping upstream.

Latitude

46.8411 N

Longitude

-121.5497 W

Elevation

3322 feet

USGS Quadrangle

Chinook Pass 7 1/2"

Online USGS Topographic maps on Terraserver

Aerial Photographs: Terraserver | Flash Earth

Download KML

Open this location in Google Earth

OTHER NEARBY WATERFALLS

Name

Distance

Sydney Falls

0.709 miles

Chinook Creek Falls

0.931 miles

Deer Creek Falls

1.247 miles

Chinook Cascades

1.647 miles

Double Peak Falls

1.673 miles

Zigzag Falls

1.766 miles

Lower Double Peak Falls

1.77 miles

Unnamed Waterfall

1.812 miles

Upper Chinook Creek Falls

1.894 miles

Unnamed Waterfall

1.955 miles

 

 

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Magnitude

26.29

IWC

1.16  (Class 2)

RATING

37.84 %

 

Photo of Boundary Creek Falls

[ View Pictures ]

 

PHYSICAL MAKEUP

Height

50 feet

Tallest Drop

20 feet

Num. Drops

3

AVG. Width

5 feet

Pitch

81 degrees

Run

40 feet

Primary Form

Tiered Plunges

 

Watershed

Cowlitz River

Stream

Boundary Creek

AVG. Volume

50.0 cfs

Source

Unknown

Seasonality

Best Flows

May - July

 
 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Search for Boundary Creek Falls on Google

Information on this waterfall at the World Waterfall Database

Search for more pictures at:
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UPDATE HISTORY

Jul 23, 2011

Added a picture(s) of this waterfall

 
 
 
 
 

 

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