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Waterfall

Fish Ladder Falls

Washington

About

Fish Ladder Falls is a waterfall in the Cowlitz Valley Ranger District of Gifford Pinchot National Forest in Washington, managed by the Forest Service. The nearest town is Packwood, about 10 miles away, and the falls sit at roughly 2,800 feet. Summer is the most comfortable time to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show July and August highs in the mid-70s with only seven or eight wet days a month, while winter brings highs in the upper 30s and frequent snow days. Summit Creek, a canoeing spot, lies just 0.2 miles away, and the Carlton Creek hike is under a mile off. For an overnight stay, Soda Springs Campground is about 1.5 miles away, and Ohanapecosh Campground is about 3 miles away.

Waterfall Facts

Elevation

2,794 ft

Land manager

Forest Service

Elevation from USGS 3D Elevation Program terrain data (about 10 m resolution).

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Location

Fish Ladder Falls

Washington

Name and location: U.S. Geological Survey, Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). Elevation: USGS 3D Elevation Program. View the GNIS record.

Facts about this place

When to go

Best time to go: May–Sep. The mildest months here, with typical highs of 60–76°F and lows of 37–46°F.

Typical monthly averages (not a forecast) from the Longmire Rainier Nps, WA weather station, 15 mi away. High / low in °F, and days with snow.

  1. Jan37° high26° low9 days with snow
  2. Feb40° high26° low8 days with snow
  3. Mar45° high28° low8 days with snow
  4. Apr51° high31° low4 days with snow
  5. May60° high37° low1 days with snow
  6. Jun66° high41° low
  7. Jul75° high46° low
  8. Aug76° high46° low
  9. Sep69° high42° low
  10. Oct55° high35° low1 days with snow
  11. Nov42° high29° low5 days with snow
  12. Dec36° high25° low10 days with snow

Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020

Where it is

Nearest town
Packwood, Washington · 10 mi
Managed by
Forest Service

Source: USFS EDW boundaries; USGS PAD-US 4.1; USGS GNIS populated places

Conditions

Active alerts for Cowlitz Valley Ranger District as of Oct 9, 2026:

Source: USFS forest alerts

Nearby

Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)

Is Fish Ladder Falls open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists 12 alerts for Cowlitz Valley Ranger District.

As of · Source: USFS · Cowlitz Valley Ranger District. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Best time to visit Fish Ladder Falls

Best months: July–September. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

  1. Jan

    37° / 26°

    21 wet · 9 snow

  2. Feb

    40° / 26°

    18 wet · 8 snow

  3. Mar

    45° / 28°

    20 wet · 8 snow

  4. Apr

    51° / 31°

    18 wet · 4 snow

  5. May

    60° / 37°

    17 wet · 1 snow

  6. Jun

    66° / 41°

    14 wet

  7. Jul

    75° / 46°

    8 wet

  8. Aug

    76° / 46°

    7 wet

  9. Sep

    69° / 42°

    10 wet

  10. Oct

    55° / 35°

    16 wet · 1 snow

  11. Nov

    42° / 29°

    19 wet · 5 snow

  12. Dec

    36° / 25°

    21 wet · 10 snow

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Longmire Rainier Nps, WA, 14.6 mi away at 2,762 ft. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.