Van Trump Creek facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Van Trump Creek |
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| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
| County | Pierce County |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Main source | Van Trump Glacier Mount Rainier |
| River mouth | Nisqually River |
Van Trump Creek is a beautiful creek located in Pierce County, Washington. It's also sometimes called Van Trump Falls Creek or the Van Trump Fork of the Nisqually River. This creek is a smaller stream that flows into the Nisqually River, joining it near where the Paradise River also meets. Van Trump Creek is famous for its many amazing waterfalls that you can see along its path.
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Where Van Trump Creek Flows
Van Trump Creek starts high up at the end of the Van Trump Glacier. From there, it flows south, making its way down the mountain.
Famous Waterfalls Along the Creek
As the creek flows, it creates several stunning waterfalls:
- Just west of a spot called Mildred Point, the water tumbles over a smaller fall known as Upper Comet Falls.
- A little further down, you'll find the biggest and most famous waterfall on the creek: Comet Falls. It's a truly impressive sight!
- Soon after Comet Falls, another stream called Falls Creek joins Van Trump Creek.
- Right below where Falls Creek joins, the water drops over another major waterfall, which is called Van Trump Falls.
The Canyon and Lower Falls
After Van Trump Falls, the creek enters a deep, narrow canyon. This canyon stretches almost all the way to where the creek meets the Nisqually River. About halfway through this gorge, the creek forms Lower Van Trump Falls. This waterfall is quite hard to reach safely. The creek then leaves the canyon by flowing over Christine Falls, which has been changed quite a bit over time. Finally, the creek continues south until it reaches and joins the Nisqually River.
The 2001 Debris Flow
On August 14, 2001, something big happened to Van Trump Creek. A huge amount of mud, rocks, and other natural material washed down from the Kautz Glacier. This turned the creek into a powerful, fast-moving river of mud and debris.
Impact on the Creek
Even though the mudflow was massive, most of the waterfalls on the creek were not badly damaged, which was amazing! However, the mudflows did destroy a bridge that was located above Comet Falls. That bridge is still gone today. The powerful mud also cleaned out the creek's banks, removing all the plants and leaving behind dead plants and debris.
Floods of 2003 and 2006
In 2003 and again in 2006, Van Trump Creek and Falls Creek experienced very large floods. These floods brought down huge amounts of water.
Changes from the Floods
The floods were so strong that they washed away all the dead plants left behind by the 2001 mudflows in many places. In some areas, especially below Upper Comet Falls, the floods replaced the old vegetation with gigantic boulders! These powerful floods also changed the shape of several of the waterfalls along the creek.
