Myrtle Falls Hike

The Myrtle Falls hike at Mt. Rainier National Park in Pierce County, Washington is an easy 1.1-mile out-and-back hike that leads to the 100-foot tall Myrtle Falls and features views of the 14,410-foot tall, Mt. Rainier.

Hike to Myrtle Falls

This hike begins at the main parking lot for the Paradise area at Mt. Rainier National Park where visitors will find a trailhead for the Skyline Trail located north of the visitor center. Hop on the trail there and keep-right as the Skyline Trail runs adjacent to the parking lot and Paradise Inn.

As the trail passes the Paradise Inn area, it'll start to open up to more south-facing views of distant snow-capped mountains. On a clear day, hikers can probably see Mount Hood in Mount Hood National Forest as it stretches thousands of feet into the sky, however, during our hike here in mid-June 2025, there were just too many clouds to see Mt. Hood.

The Skyline Trail eventually rounds a corner and starts heading north where Mt. Rainier will pop into view. Assuming you show up and there aren't too many clouds, the glacier-capped Mt. Rainier will be towering over and staring you down for the rest of the hike, which makes for great photos. If you show up on a cloudy day, keep your eyes peeled for the cloud cover to change so you can take a good photograph of the mountain / volcano.

Top of Myrtle Falls - Mile 0.5

This route leads to the very top of Myrtle Falls first before descending to reach views of the waterfall. The top of Myrtle Falls is reached around mile 0.5 where a steep hill leads down to a footbridge that crosses Edith Creek. Here, you'll find a small waterfall below your feet with the backdrop of Mt. Rainier. This is a great spot to take in the views, take some photos, and simply enjoy your natural surroundings.

Myrtle Falls - Mile 0.57

Backtracking slightly, you'll find a spur trail that leads down to the viewing platform for Myrtle Falls. Take the staircase down to reach the viewing platform of Myrtle Falls around mile 0.57. From here, you can watch the 100-foot tall Myrtle Falls plummet down into the Edith Creek gorge with a breathtaking view of Mt. Rainier in the background. Note that when snow is present, this spur trail can be really difficult to spot, but you can find it by following southern side of the tree line that surrounds the Myrtle Falls' gorge, just be extra careful. In the route provided, we hiked in on a snow path that followed a less-steep grade, then we hiked out via the spur's staircase path.

Hiking Out - mile 0.57 to 1.1

The hike out obviously follows the Skyline Trail back to parking. If hiking in snow without proper traction, take your time on the snow precipices that line the trail closer to the bend as they can be somewhat skinny with steep sloping terrain to the side. Arrive back at the parking lot around mile 1.1 for an easy hike out to Myrtle Falls.

Difficulty, Snow, and Paved Surface

If you hike this trail in late spring or early summer, you may find the trail is still completely covered in snow. While this was our only visit to this trail, there were several exposed paved sections that lead out toward Myrtle Falls; however, it's difficult to tell how far the smooth pavement goes before it possibly switches to a dirt trail. If you show up and the entire trail is covered in snow, you might want to consider using ice spikes to make the hike significantly easier. If the trail is covered in snow and you do not have snow traction on your feet, the hike should be considered moderate, otherwise it's an easy walk.

Parking & Fees

Hikers will find a massive parking lot at the coordinates provided, located at the Paradise visitor center at Mt. Rainier National Park. The lot is large enough to fit many dozens of vehicles as of June 2025. Due to the park's popularity, there's an overflow parking lot located just west of the visitor center parking. As of June 2025, there's a $25 entry fee for the park which is good for several days. If you plan ahead, you can speed up your entry with an Annual National Park's Pass.