Around 40,000 years ago while the summit was being formed by a series of lava eruptions, a lava flow from the flank of Mount Rainier built a ridge now called Ricksecker Point. Massive Ice Age glaciers that existed during the period hemmed in the lava flow to create the steep-sided ridge we see today.
Ricksecker Point is now bordered by deep river valleys. To the west flows the Nisqually River, while to the east is the Paradise River. Narada Falls is formed from the Paradise River flowing over cliffs created by the same lava flow that formed Ricksecker Point. Have you stopped at Ricksecker Point or Narada Falls on your way up to Paradise?
USGS/Tom Sisson Photo of Ricksecker Point with the Nisqually River.
