Union Creek

Union Creek climbs the canyon north of Highway 410 on the eastern flank of Mt. Rainier, four and a half miles round trip with three named falls along the way. Union Creek Falls drops fifty feet over polished bedrock half a mile in. The North Union Falls — a hundred-foot cascade with a thirty-five-foot final tier — comes another mile up the trail. The trail tread surfaces shift between forest duff, scree sidehill, and sandy soil where the slope opens.

The 2017 Norse Peak Fire burned forty thousand acres of this corridor, and the trail still shows it. Standing snags rise above the recovering understory; lupine, fireweed, and beargrass are reclaiming the slope. Washouts between miles 1.3 and 1.6 from post-fire erosion still trouble passage in places, and flash flood risk during heavy rain remains real until the slope reroots fully.

Side paths drop toward the falls themselves — handle with care. The drops are unprotected and the soil is loose; the WTA notice that children should not take these side trails alone is not theoretical. Wilderness permit free and self-issued at the trailhead. Bear-proof garbage and a vault toilet are at the parking area.