Reflection Lake to Narada Falls

I'd say this trail was easier than moderate. Short and beautiful. The fall isn't tall, but it's neat.

Amazing!

Beautiful

Amazing hike, very easy. Great views less than a mile in. Amazing flowers. So many things to see and smell.

The hike has become my new favorite. Absolutely beautiful with several water falls and crystal clear river. Lots of uphill but that is what I enjoy. There was a full rainbow at the bottom of Narada Falls when we got there...so beautiful. Lots of people on the trail and at the falls. No bathrooms at Reflection Lake trail head but nice ones at the falls.

The hike was beautiful. I almost didn’t do it based on the review by H. Tran. I did this hike in early August, high summer with perfect weather. There were a few bugs but that was close to the lake and I did spray some insecticide, it was no big deal. About 1 mile in you get to see the origins of Narada Falls and it’s along the trail all the way to the falls, you have babbling brook background sounds along the way. There were wild flowers in the meadows all along the trail also. Nicely shaded. Just a few muddy areas closer to the falls that were easily navigated, I can see how that area might be really muddy after heavy rain or snow melt. I highly recommend this scenic trail in the summer.

There were a few bugs, but otherwise a pleasant hike. I sprayed insecticide and mostly the bugs were closer to the lake, no big deal. Beautiful day, about 1 mile in, the origins of Narada falls starts and it follows you the rest of the way to the falls - a babbling brook background:) Nicely shaded with greenery and wild flowers along the way. I went in early August and it was perfect weather.

This is actually the lower lakes trail starting out of Paradise just opposite the ranger station. Narada falls is an additional detour of 1.6 miles round trip. So this makes a total of approximately 6 miles. Over all in good condition, nice views occasionally. This has a mix of up and downhill stretches so it does not stress you out. The downside: bugs, bugs and lot of bugs. It gets annoying at times and u end up pushing yourself to finish the hike sooner than enjoying it. That’s probably one of the reasons for this being very lightly used.

Short but beautiful hike

YouTube.com/HaiTran for a video showing what the hike looks like and a video review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6WxeTOUUo0 I hiked from Reflection Lake to Narada Falls via the Lower Lakes/Narada Falls trail then back to Reflection Lake via the Wonderland Trail. Overall, this is a hard hike to recommend. For the amount of effort required to get to the destinations, there is little payoff. To me, this hike is all about the destination, not about how you get there. There is little in between to look at so I just wanted it to be over. The hike to Narada Falls was much more enjoyable than the one back. That being said, it wasn’t all that special. There was only one real opening with a nice view of Mt. Rainier about a mile into the hike. From there it’s a lot of walking in dense forest. My favorite parts of this hike were from the .2 miles to Narada Falls trail sign. This sign happens to be directly next to a road with space to park. I almost want to recommend just parking and starting the hike here as all the views of the river and various waterfalls start here. The hike from Narada Falls to Reflections Lake was not enjoyable. The trail is often narrow with only enough space for one person at a time. I was constantly surrounded by trees and bush so again, there isn’t much to look at. It’s a straight uphill climb until you finish with the switchbacks. From there the ground levels out with some down hills. The trail even opens up a bit with some nice prairies. The only problem is that by the time this happens, you’re walking directly below/beside the road so you hear a lot of car noise. One thing that's confusing about this hike is the distance. AllTrails has Reflection Lake to Narada Falls as 3.6 miles and another 3 miles to get back. I recorded the entire trip on my AllTrails app and got a total of 4.1 miles for the loop. This is considering all the back and forth walking that I had to do to record for my hiking video. This means that the hike itself was likely less than 3.5 miles. Make what you will with this information. When I did this hike, although the park was busy there was really no one on the trail. I can definitely see why. Again, these trails are all about getting to the destinations: Narada Falls and Reflection Lake. The hike is not worth while. Unless you’re intentionally out to just get some exercise and not for the views, just drive to the destination. You’ll save a lot of time and energy. If you'd like to see more coverage of various hikes around Washington and the rest of the world, consider checking out my work whether it's through YouTube or my various other social media outlets! Hải Hoàng Trần Photographer | Videographer HaiHoangTran.com YouTube.com/HaiTran Instagram.com/HaiHoangTran

Snow shoeing from trail next to comfort station at Narada Falls to Reflection Lake via Mazama Ridge Trail. Beautiful day and not busy when we started. When we left at 1:45 the parking lot was so crowded we could barely get our car out.

This is the 2nd time I have snowshoed this trail. It is a great hike, but a bit of a challenge with all the up. However, that means that it is almost all downhill for the return. Took my 9 year old on it yesterday. He struggled at times and got tired, but loved it up there.

Beautiful hike with an amazing waterfall!

Great Family hike! Try to time the hike with clear skies to take full advantage of reflection lake.

Fun hike! Go left when you cross the street. LOL You'll figure it out. The postcard photos can't be beat on this trail. I spent two hours at the base of the falls and it was so relaxing. Don't forget to bring a towel if you're going to hike down to the river. I'd recommend a pair of water shoes for you travels, it's a must for my pack now.

Beautiful Hike today

was an amazing day of adventure. Trails were clear and scenic in every view. Really Loved It.

Started at Reflection Lake to Narada Falls. Nice hike, ascends and descends both ways. Lots of bugs so bring some bug spray. There was a small patch of snow near Ruby Falls that kids were able to play in. Park is very crowded especially at Henry M Jackson Visitor center....waited an hour to get in park...got to entrance at 11am. This is a nice option for a family hike that is further from the crowds..took us about 3 hrs to 4 hrs...but we stopped and enjoyed the views and took breaks for the kids.

First of all, it’s a moderate trail, Mt. Rainier has it listed that way as well. Started at reflection lake and hiked 5 miles total in and out to Narada Falls gained 1013 ft elevation beautiful views. On the path to Narada falls you do cross two roads so be careful, but after every road there is a mini fall worth checking out. FYI you can drive to both reflection lake and Narada falls as well. Take plenty of bug spray and water.

We did a loop from Narmada Falls to Reflection Lakes and then hit part of the Wonderland trail. Beautiful day, wonderful hike.

Beautiful trail but full of mosquitoes. I took my daughters (6 and 8) but we only made it half way and had to turn around because of the mosquitoes swarming us nonstop. I counted 15 bites just on me! We had bug repellent too, but should have invested in stronger stuff.

Highlights: -Hiked it on the 14th: weather and views were beautiful. Wore shorts and running shoes. -Took my kids with me, the youngest hiker being 3. We had no issues hiking the entire route. -No snow on the trail, just a little mud where it had melted. Downside: The line into the Mt Rainier Park was long between 1200-1400. We waited an hour to get into the park.

Hiked on 7/1/18. First 100 yards or so had some snow but that was it for the entire trail. No issue at all.