Mount Rainier and the South Cascades
94 waterfalls · Pierce County, Lewis County, Skamania County, Clark County, Cowlitz County, Klickitat County, Yakima County, and Thurston County
Mount Rainier's glaciers feed dozens of streams that drop off the volcano's flanks, and the park and the surrounding foothills hold more named falls than any other part of the state. Narada Falls, a two-tiered cascade beside the road to Paradise, is among the most visited. Near Eatonville, Little Mashel Falls lies in forested foothills. Farther south, Skamania County takes in the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge and the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, where Falls Creek Falls is reached by a forest trail near Carson. Clark County's Moulton Falls, on the East Fork Lewis River, is a popular local park with a high arched bridge.
Start with: Little Mashel Falls, Narada Falls, Moulton Falls, Falls Creek Falls, Dougan Falls
North Cascades and the Snoqualmie Corridor
69 waterfalls · Snohomish County, King County, Whatcom County, Skagit County, Chelan County, Okanogan County, and Kittitas County
The mountain highways east of Seattle and Bellingham pass some of Washington's best-known falls. Snoqualmie Falls, described as 270 feet tall, drops into a gorge beside an observation deck and a historic hydroelectric plant, and is the most reviewed waterfall in the state. Up the Interstate 90 corridor, Franklin Falls tumbles in three tiers on the South Fork Snoqualmie. Along US 2, Eagle Falls near Index and Deception Falls near Stevens Pass are short stops from the highway. To the north, Nooksack Falls drops into a narrow gorge on the Mount Baker Highway, and Chelan and Okanogan counties add falls on the drier eastern slope of the Cascades.
Start with: Snoqualmie Falls, Franklin Falls, Deception Falls, Nooksack Falls, Eagle Falls
Olympic Peninsula and Puget Sound
17 waterfalls · Clallam County, Jefferson County, Mason County, Kitsap County, San Juan County, and Pacific County
The Olympic Mountains receive some of the heaviest precipitation in the contiguous United States, and their rainforest valleys are threaded with mossy cascades. In Olympic National Park near Lake Crescent, Marymere Falls drops about 90 feet at the end of a short trail through old-growth forest, and Sol Duc Falls splits into several channels as the Sol Duc River plunges into a narrow slot. Jefferson and Mason counties include falls on the eastern side of the Olympics, facing Hood Canal. The San Juan Islands, Kitsap Peninsula and Pacific coast add a handful of small falls, usually at their best during the wet winter months.
Start with: Marymere Falls, Sol Duc Falls, Beaver Falls, Cascade Falls, McKenna Falls
Columbia Plateau and Northeast Washington
32 waterfalls · Stevens County, Spokane County, Downtown Spokane County, Lincoln County, Pend Oreille County, Grant County, Ferry County, Whitman County, Franklin County, Adams County, and Columbia County
Eastern Washington's falls are shaped by basalt and by the Ice Age floods that swept across the region. Palouse Falls, described as dropping 200 feet into a winding canyon, is the centerpiece of a state park in Franklin County and is one of the most dramatic sights in the interior Northwest. In Spokane, Spokane Falls roars through the city center beside Riverfront Park, especially during spring runoff. Lincoln County's Hawk Creek Falls lies near Lake Roosevelt, and Stevens, Pend Oreille and Ferry counties hold falls on forested rivers near Kettle Falls and the Canadian border. Grant County's coulees preserve dry falls left by the floods.
Start with: Palouse Falls, Spokane Falls, Dry Falls, Crystal Falls, Douglass Falls
