Van Trump Creek, also called Van Trump Falls Creek or the Van Trump Fork of the Nisqually River

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 southwest of Tacoma, including the southern slope of Mount Rainier, and empties into the southern end of Puget Sound....

, is a creek

Stream

A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...

 in Pierce County

Pierce County, Washington

right|thumb|[[Tacoma, Washington|Tacoma]] - Seat of Pierce CountyPierce County is the second most populous county in the U.S. state of Washington. Formed out of Thurston County on December 22, 1852, by the legislature of Oregon Territory...

, Washington. It is a tributary of the Nisqually River, joining the river

River

A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

 just above the mouth of the Paradise River

Paradise River

The Paradise River is a small, short but swift river in Pierce County, Washington. It is the first major tributary of the Nisqually River. Located entirely within the bounds of Mount Rainier National Park, it is notable for its waterfalls, a total of eight....

. The creek is known for having several well known waterfalls along its course.

Course

The creek originates at the toe of the Van Trump Glacier

Van Trump Glacier

The Van Trump Glacier is actually a scattering of glaciers and snowfields located on the southern flank of Mount Rainier in Washington. Named after P. B. Van Trump, who was part of an early ascent of Mount Rainier, the glacier covers and contains 500 million ft3 of ice. The glacier is located...

 and flows south. Just west of Mildred Point, the creek drops over small Upper Comet Falls

Upper Comet Falls

Upper Comet Falls is a waterfall in Pierce County, Washington. It is located along Van Trump Creek and is located a ways above Comet Falls. The falls may have been formed as a result of the floods of 2003 and 2006 that came down Van Trump Creek....

. Shortly below that, the creek drops over the largest and best of the falls on the creek, Comet Falls

Comet Falls

Comet Falls is a tall waterfall located on Van Trump Creek in Pierce County, Washington. The falls are thought to be the best in the Mount Rainier region.- Stature :...

. Shortly below Comet Falls, Falls Creek joins Van Trump Creek. The creek drops over another major waterfall just below the mouth of Falls Creek, Van Trump Falls

Van Trump Falls

Van Trump Falls is a waterfall on Van Trump Creek in Pierce County, Washington. The falls are located a short distance downstream from the mouth of Falls Creek.- Stature :...

. After dropping over the falls, the creek enters a deep canyon

Canyon

A canyon or gorge is a deep ravine between cliffs often carved from the landscape by a river. Rivers have a natural tendency to reach a baseline elevation, which is the same elevation as the body of water it will eventually drain into. This forms a canyon. Most canyons were formed by a process of...

, which extends almost all the way to its mouth. About halfway through the gorge, the creek drops over dangerous-to-access Lower Van Trump Falls before exiting the canyon by dropping over majorly altered Christine Falls

Christine Falls

Christine Falls is a waterfall on Van Trump Creek in Pierce County, Washington. The falls are feet high and are best known for having a bridge spanning the lower drop. The upper drop is high and is almost impossible to film in tandem with the oft-photographed lower tier...

. The creek then continues south to where it meets the Nisqually.

Debris Flows of 2001

On August 14, 2001, a ton of debris washed down from the Kautz Glacier

Kautz Glacier

The Kautz Glacier is a narrow glacier on the southern flank of Mount Rainier in Washington. Named for August Kautz, who is sometimes credited for the first ascent of Mount Rainier, covers and contains 7.8 billion ft3 of ice. Upper Kautz Glacier extends south from the summit ice cap to Kautz Ice...

and flowed down the creek, turning the creek into a raging torrent of mud and other debris. Amazingly, most of the waterfalls on the creek were not majorly harmed. The mudflows took out the bridge above Comet Falls and even today the bridge is still out. The mudflows scoured the creeks banks clean of any plant life and replaced it with dead vegetation.

Floods of 2003 and 2006

In 2003 and 2006, Van Trump Creek and Falls Creek experienced major floods. The floods brought huge amounts of water down, large enough to take out all the dead vegetation, left by the 2001 mudflows, lining the creek in many places and replace them with gigantic boulders in some areas, especially below Upper Comet Falls. It altered several of the falls on the creek.