13 Kid-Friendly Waterfall Hikes for Seattle-Area Families

Kids will love: The cool footbridge that spans a milky, glacially fed river.

Highlights: Most of this trail is wide and flat through a pristine old-growth forest. Marvel at the girth of the ancient Douglas fir and cedar trees here. Hold onto kids’ hands when crossing the cool footbridge over the Nisqually River, and remind them to look up while midspan on the bridge for a spectacular view of “The Mountain.”

Details: There are two beautiful waterfalls on this kid-friendly hike, Carter Falls and Madcap Falls, the latter just a short distance beyond the former and worth the extra steps.

Begin on the famous Wonderland Trail heading east from Longmire. In the summer months you may encounter backpackers hiking the entire 93-mile trek that circumnavigates Mount Rainier, a journey that takes about 10 days. This family-friendly stretch of the Wonderland starts flat and wide, first alongside the Paradise Road then pulling away into the quiet wilderness along the Nisqually River. At about 2 miles, you’ll come back to the road and the Cougar Rock Campground when the trails turns sharply east to cross the wide floodplain of the Nisqually River. After crossing the Nisqually River on the log bridge, the trail hugs the Paradise River for about a mile through the emerald moss-cloaked forest to Carter Falls. After you’ve had your fill at the viewpoint, walk on beyond these falls another 150 feet to see Madcap Falls.

Tip: For a shorter version of this hike (2.2 miles round-trip, 500 feet gain) you can skip the first stretch and pick up the trail at Cougar Rock Campground — the trail is accessed from Paradise Road via a paved pullout 100 yards below the campground.

Distance: 7 miles round-trip, 900 feet elevation gain

Conditions: Check conditions at this Mount Rainier webcam or at WTA website as this hike is not typically passable until late spring.

Info: Mount Rainier National Park

Directions: Longmire at Mount Rainier is about two hours from Seattle. Starting in 2024, the park requires timed-entry reservations. Take I-5 south to Tacoma, then drive east on State Route 7 to Elbe. From there, continue on State Route 706 through Ashford to the Nisqually Entrance to the park, where you must pay the entrance fee to Mount Rainier National Park (or show your fourth grader’s Every Kid Outdoors pass). After entering the park, continue on Paradise Road heading east 6.5 miles to the Longmire Museum and the National Park Inn. Park in the large parking lot behind the inn. The trailhead is on the north end of the lot, signed for the Wonderland Trail. Head east on the Wonderland Trail. 

Next stop: Myrtle Falls