comet falls

What I really like about this hike is that you can walk right up to the waterfall. This is a good go to hike for taking your out of town guests. Not too difficult, but can be really hot in summer months as you are exposed for a large portion of the hike. 3 out of 5 compared to the many accessible and breathtaking areas around Ranier.

Follow a tumbling, churning, white water creek upstream as it thunders through a narrow gorge of glacier-polished rock, on your way to two fabulous waterfalls, and numerous smaller waterfalls and cascades, all in less than 2 miles.At 0.3 mile, cross Van Trump Creek on a stout bridge, looking downstream over the top of Christine Falls. At 1.2 miles, the trail scales a rock face on a crib ladder. This was constructed after a slide forced a trail closure in 2012. At 1.6 miles, cross the East Fork Van Trump Creek on a footlog and admire the three-tiered waterfall. Don’t be fooled; this is not Comet Falls! This is Bloucher Falls, with a combined height of 124 feet in three plunges. Yes, it’s quite pretty, but keep going; just uphill is the first clear view of Comet Falls. And a quarter mile later you can stand at its base, gazing up at its biggest plunge of 392 feet!

This trail is one of the best short hikes. There are views of the Comet Falls waterfalls just about the entire way. There are small diversions through the trail. I also liked seeing the cloudy glacial flour water at the start by the rubble. There's also a cool wood bridge to walk across. The trail becomes steep near the top but is not too bad in difficulty.

This is my favorite day hike to do at Mt. Rainier. You enter through the Longmeir gate of the national park. It is on the road that takes you up to Paradise. It can be very crowded in the summer. So if you go during the summer go late in the afternoon. Parking may be a challenge otherwise. To me this is a moderate hike. Enjoy

Snowy in spring. A bit of effort takes you up to a lovely, long bridal waterfall. Great in the fall. Frisk in the pool. Go the extra distance to Van Trump Park for great views of Rainier and St. Helen's. The continuing trail to Longmire is boring and buggy. monotonous down.

This trail is steep! Bring water! This trail is in the trees until you breakout at the falls. We actually did this trail before the landslide closed it in 2012. I don't know when it will reopen. There is great pika habitat too.

Looks like the full trail will remain closed throughout the year, since there are still warnings about the snow pack at trail end. We actually didn't get to see Comet Falls - disappointing, but it was a foggy afternoon. We could hear it and I'm guessing could have seen it from where the trail ended but no luck with the fog. It was still an enjoyable hike, uphill through green forest next to a river. The falls nearby was nice to see, but we'll have to come back another year for Comet Falls itself.

The trail was great. Just enough to give you a workout. 900 elevation climb. Took about an hour 20 minutes to climb up and 55 mins to go down. Last 400 ft still closed on 08-11-2012.

Over the winter of 2011/2012, the bridge to the last 1/4 mile of this trail was washed out, so you can't actually get to the falls. Local trail groups are working to restore the bridge at the top, but it wasn't open when we hiked up (August 2012) and there was a notice about the closure posted on the trail sign. It's a strenuous hike, almost always uphill, but it's a clear trail, mostly in the shade and there are no dangerous passages. Take plenty of water and be prepared to take a break now and then. The parking lot for this trail is just across the bridge from Christine Falls, a picturesque falls sort of a mini Multnomah Falls as there's a stone bridge over it. If the Park Shuttle is running, it only stops at Comet Falls on the way to Longmire - no stop on its way back to Paradise. We just missed the bus so we had a 40 minute wait for the next one.

The parking area for Comet Falls fits maybe 10 cars. It looks like just a turnout one the drive from Longmire to Paradise. But it's well worth it. As another reviewier said, the three step falls right before Comet Falls kind of lull you into thinking "that's it?" Then you walk for a few more feet, come through the trees and there it is. Try and go in middle to late September and, if you get an early enough start, you can catch the ice sheets falling from the rock face into the pool below. Also, continue up the trail a few more miles and you get to Van Trump Park. Spectacular views of The Mountain. Be forewarned though... This is a switch back trail that will wear you out. Take plenty of water and be prepared for some stops along the way to regroup.

Short but invigorating hike with a very impressive falls.

This is a great hike. Lots of shade, only 900 ft elevation gain (although it feels like a bit more), and 3.8 miles round tip (http://www.mt-rainier.com/hiking_trails.html). There is a lot of shade on the trail, and you are hiking along the river/stream most of the way, so there are many opportunities for pictures.As another reviewer noted, you may think that you have reached the end prior to crossing the river, but keep going and you will see an incredible waterfall. We happened to be there when there was a full rainbow touching the ground on both ends...something that I had never seen before.Despite the amazing beauty, the trail was not very crowded. We saw a few other groups along the way, but mainly we were able to feel alone with nature. There are no forks in the trail so it is almost impossible to get lost.If 3.8 miles and 900 ft elevation gain is a bit much for you, then check out Christine Falls, which you can drive right up to. There is a fee to get into the Mt. Rainier National Park (if you don't have a pass already), but 1 fee lasts a week.

Comet Falls is a 300-ft tall waterfall, but there is a beautiful three-step waterfall right before it. There's a sign that says "Comet Falls 200 feet" right before you get to the three-step waterfall, so we figured that had to be Comet Falls. But, we were wrong. We almost headed back without seeing the real Comet Falls. A nice couple stopped us and our two daughters to point us in the right direction. After you cross the timber across the stream, head on the trail uphill right in front of you and you'll come to the vista of Comet Falls in just a few steps. You can walk much closer and standing on the ledge near Comet Falls feels like standing near a helicopter taking off, with so much downdraft and mist from the waterfall. It was almost hard to stand up. We loved this hike with our 10 and 12-year-old daughters. It is long, 4 miles round-trip and somewhat steep in places, but you'll really be amazed at the end.