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Larrupin Falls is the second of four major waterfalls along St. Andrews Creek as it drops below the Westside Road towards the Puyallup River. The falls are largely unknown and he only photograph I had ever seen before visiting the falls myself was a scan of a Barnes photo from the early 1900s. In appearance Larrupin Falls is almost an exact copy of Denman Falls - the creek begins by sliding then pauses briefly before hurtling 137 feet off an undercut cliff with a fantastically defined columnar basalt. Unfortunately the falls are difficult to reach and even harder to cleanly photograph. When I went after the falls, I was shocked to find whats left of a very well defined but severely overgrown trail that leads downstream from Denman Falls to the other falls on the creek. It appears that the National Park Service abandoned the trail decades ago because while its obvious where the trail is / was at some points, much of whats left is impossible to follow due to fallen trees, thick undergrowth and slides. It would be great to see this trail restored to its original state, but chances of that happening are slim to none.
- Larrupin Falls is the Official name of this waterfall.
Larrupin (or Larapin), according to Urban Dictionary is a word that initially meant "a good, sound beating" but later evolved to be an exclamation (usually associated with food). I could see either meaning applying to the falls, but I suspect its the latter. The falls were originally spelled "Larapin" but pronounced the same.
Larrupin Falls is a little more than 1/3 of a mile downstream from Denman Falls, west of the Westside Road in Mount Rainier National Park. I don't recommend attempting to visit the falls due to the lack of a defined trail, but to those who wish to attempt it, find the trail near the Denman Falls viewpoint marked with the "Unmaintaned Beyond This Point" sign and generally stay within earshot of St. Andrews Creek, following the old trail wherever possible. I guarantee you will lose it in several locations and will have to battle thick brush practically the whole way.
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