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Perhaps the most popular waterfall in Mount Rainier National Park, Narada Falls has an ever-present following of visitors. Veiling over a wall of basalt, the Paradise River slides and plunges 17 feet into a small pool then spreads out and veils 159 feet in a lacy display that can stretch to 75 feet wide at peak flow. When the river is running high, be prepared to get soaked at the viewpoint - the spray is always funneled straight at the trail. While the commonly enjoyed viewpoint provides the best views of the falls, a second, less developed viewpoint further downstream yields a side view of the falls from below, which has been used for some of the more famous pictures of this waterfall. The falls can also be partially viewed from the side of SR 706 near a large pullout about ½ a mile east of the bridge over the Paradise River. During the winter, the falls freeze and become 150 feet of Icicles, which attract ice climbers from afar.
- Narada Falls is the Official name of this waterfall.
- Known Alternate Names: Cushman Falls
The falls were originally known as Cushman Falls but the name was neither widely used nor well known. The name Narada was proposed by Arthur F. Knight and adopted in 1893 for the Narada branch of the Theosophical Society of Tacoma. Narada is a Hindu word meaning 'uncontaminated' or 'pure'. Early variants on the spelling include Neradah, and the common mistake of Nevada Falls.
Located near Paradise in Mt. Rainier National Park. The falls are signed and marked on the free park maps. The parking lot is easily found by driving 1 mile west of the turn-off for Paradise, or 6 miles east of Cougar Rock Campground, along SR 706, to the marked Narada Falls viewpoint. The parking area is located at the brink of the falls, but to see the falls, one must follow a short trail which offer full views of the falls veiling into the canyon. Though the trail is paved to the viewpoint, it's too steep for wheelchairs.
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