''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 flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of w ...

in Pierce County,

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

. 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 Pu ...

. Located entirely within the bounds of

Mount Rainier National Park Mount Rainier National Park is an American national park located in southeast Pierce County and northeast Lewis County in Washington state. The park was established on March 2, 1899, as the fourth national park in the United States, preservi ...

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

Course

The Paradise River originates at the toe of the Paradise Glacier. 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 area, Narada Falls, 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