Fish Ladder Falls is a 119-foot waterfall on Summit Creek in Lewis County, Washington, in the Cascades region. It lies about 35.9 miles west of Tieton and roughly 46.7 miles southeast of South Hill as the crow flies.
At 119 feet it is taller than the typical Washington waterfall of about 82 feet, ranking 354th of 941 with a recorded height. The tallest single drop is 99 feet. By form it is a tiered waterfall, falling in several distinct steps one after another, combined with a horsetail character. It falls in 2 drops.
The Cascades are a high volcanic range of snow-capped peaks, deep glacial valleys and dense conifer forest of Douglas fir, western hemlock and true firs, with abundant rain and snow on the western slopes. Basalt cliffs and lava flows give the region one of the highest concentrations of waterfalls in the country. Summit Creek carries 5 recorded waterfalls, and Fish Ladder Falls is the tallest of them.
Lewis County holds 180 recorded waterfalls, and several are close by. Waterfall 36 mi W of Tieton, is under a mile away. Upper Summit Creek Falls, an 18-foot slide cascade waterfall, is about 1.3 miles away. Thunder Falls, an 82-foot veiling horsetail waterfall, is about 1.4 miles away.
Fish Ladder Falls is located at 46.7075° N, 121.5122° W. The listing is based on the World Waterfall Database, one of the sources compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey in its inventory of waterfalls and rapids of the conterminous United States. The creek name is confirmed against the federal Geographic Names Information System. The exact position has not yet been verified on aerial imagery, so treat the map pin as approximate. Details on trails, parking and access have not been documented for this waterfall yet.