Myrtle Falls is a 72-foot horsetail waterfall on Edith Creek at Paradise in Mount Rainier National Park, Pierce County, Washington. It sits beside the Skyline Trail a short walk from the Paradise Inn, offering a view with Mount Rainier rising behind the falls.
The falls
Edith Creek, fed by glacier melt, slides in a single drop about 15 feet wide. The World Waterfall Database, which surveyed it in person, gives the 72-foot height and an average high flow of about 35 cubic feet per second, while park descriptions call it a 60-foot braided cascade. The creek runs all year.
Getting there
From the large Paradise parking lot, an easy 0.4-mile walk heads northeast from the Paradise Inn along the paved Skyline Trail to Edith Creek. The outing is about 1 mile round trip, with 100 to 200 feet of elevation gain. A small bridge over the creek gives partial views; a steep stairway and dirt path drop to the viewpoint of the full falls.
Mount Rainier admission is $30 per vehicle for seven days or $55 for a park annual pass, and entrances are cashless. No timed-entry reservation is required anywhere in the park in 2026.
When to go
Summer is the season to visit: snow usually buries the approach from November into July. The area is treacherous in spring, and visitors should avoid it until it is snow-free.
On site
Snow hazards here include punching through snow over the creek, snow cornices and steep, icy slopes. The route has steep sections, a step onto the bridge and stairs to the full view, and Paradise has no fully accessible trails. Dogs aren't allowed on trails or on snow in the park. Visitors are asked to stay on the trail, even through mud or snow, to protect the subalpine wildflower meadows. Restrooms and water refill stations are at the Paradise visitor center and the Paradise Inn.
History and name
Julius Stampfler, a former guide on the mountain, named the falls in 1907 after a woman he met on one of his guided tours.
Nearby
Edith Gorge Falls is about 0.1 mile away and Middle Edith Creek Falls about 0.4 mile, both on Edith Creek, with Golden Gate Falls farther up the same creek about 0.7 mile away. Sluiskin Falls on the Paradise River is also about 0.7 mile away.
Distances are straight-line.