Ipsut Falls is an 87-foot, two-tiered waterfall on Ipsut Creek in the Carbon River area of Mount Rainier National Park, Pierce County, Washington. It sits in a narrow canyon a short walk from Ipsut Creek Camp, at the end of the old Carbon River Road, though access to the Carbon River area is currently blocked because the Fairfax Bridge on SR 165 is closed.
The falls
The World Waterfall Database, which surveyed the falls in person, describes two tiers. First the creek rolls over a rounded ledge as a veiling fall and drops 49 feet into a bowl in the canyon; then it squeezes through a narrow gap and falls another 38 feet more vertically. The stream is about 10 feet wide on average and is fed by a lake. Fallen trees and vegetation partly block the view from the trail.
Getting there
Trail conditions reports indicate that the Fairfax Bridge on SR 165, outside the park, is closed to pedestrians, bicycles and vehicles, with no alternate route to Carbon River or Mowich Lake.
Under normal conditions the trip starts at the Carbon River Entrance. The Carbon River Road has been closed to vehicles at the entrance since the 2006 flood, so the route follows it on foot or by bike for about 5 miles to Ipsut Creek Camp, then takes a marked spur of about 200 feet to the falls. The round trip is 11.4 miles with 300 feet of gain and is rated moderate. Park admission is $30 per vehicle for seven days.
When to go
The waterfall flows year-round: roughly 50 cubic feet per second for about eight months and 15 for the other four.
On site
Ipsut Creek Camp is now a backcountry camp with bear boxes. Dogs are not allowed on park trails; service animals are the exception. The hike is considered good for kids.
History and name
Ipsut Creek Campground was once the end of the road for drivers. Record floods in 2003 and 2006 destroyed it, and it became a backcountry camp reached only on foot or by bike.
Nearby
Upper Ipsut Falls is about 0.1 mile away, on the same creek. Doe Creek Falls is about 1.1 miles away and Mother Mountain Lake Falls about 1.4 miles.
Distances are straight-line.