''For the Canadian community, see

Paradise River, Newfoundland and Labrador Paradise River is a community on the southwestern coastline of Sandwich Bay in southeastern Labrador, Canada. Located at the outlet of the river for which the community is named, it is situated along Route 516, the Cartwright Highway, which con ...

'' The Paradise River is a small, short but swift

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

in Pierce County,

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

. It is the first major tributary of the

Nisqually River The Nisqually River is a river in west central Washington in the United States, approximately long. It drains part of the Cascade Range southeast of Tacoma, including the southern slope of Mount Rainier, and empties into the southern end of ...

. Located entirely within the bounds of

Mount Rainier National Park Mount Rainier National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States located in southeast Pierce County, Washington, Pierce County and northeast Lewis County, Washington, Lewis County in Washington (sta ...

, it is notable for its waterfalls, of which there are eight.

Course

The Paradise River originates at the toe of the

Paradise Glacier Paradise Glacier is a glacier on the southeast flank of Mount Rainier in Washington. It covers and contains 0.8 billion ft3 (23 million m3) with Stevens Glacier included. The glacier is bounded to the west by the Muir Snowfield, Anvil Rock and ...

. It drops over Paradise Falls and Sluiskin Falls as it drops swiftly downhill into Paradise Valley. Just before entering the valley it receives Edith Creek, which also has many waterfalls along its course. From there, the river flows generally southwest. After flowing out of Paradise Valley, the river drops over Ruby Falls and the Washington Cascades. Not long after that, the river widens out and drops over probably the most famous and well known waterfall in the

Mount Rainier Mount Rainier ( ), also known as Tahoma, is a large active stratovolcano in the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest in the United States. The mountain is located in Mount Rainier National Park about south-southeast of Seattle. With an off ...

area,

Narada Falls Narada Falls is a waterfall in Mount Rainier National Park, in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. It is said to be the most popular, because the Washington State Route 706, Mount Rainier Highway crosses the falls between its two t ...

, and soon after is crossed by the Mount Rainier Highway. Narada Falls is soon followed by the seldom-seen Sidewinder Cascades. A ways past Narada Falls, the river drops over Madcap Falls before it is joined soon after by Tatoosh Creek, which also has more than one major waterfall along its course. After that the river turns west, drops over Carter Falls soon after, and makes its final push toward its confluence with the Nisqually River.

External links

* Rivers of Washington (state) Rivers of Pierce County, Washington Rivers of Lewis County, Washington {{Washington-river-stub

Course

See also

External links