Category: Mt. Rainier

Naches Peak Loop (Mt. Rainier) – 08/08/2025

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date August 15, 2025
No Comments on Naches Peak Loop (Mt. Rainier) – 08/08/2025

For our final hike of our Mount Rainier vacation we landed on the Naches Peak Loop. This was originally not going to be our final hike but after several changes to our plans throughout the week it wound up here and we couldn’t be happier that it did. This was a spectacular hike with tons of wildflowers, great views, and a nice variety of wildlife.

Less than 40 minutes from Packwood we arrived at the trailhead a little before 5:45am.

Double Peak

The Naches Peak Loop Trail is 3.5-miles with 500′ of elevation gain. A portion of the loop follows the Pacific Crest Trail which provided an opportunity for a side trip down to Dewey Lakes in the William O. Douglas Wilderness.

It is recommended to hike the loop clockwise to maximize the views of Mount Rainier so that was our plan as we set off. The wildflower display was immediately profuse.

Heading down to the start of the loop near Tipsoo Lake.

Tipsoo Lake

Spirea, lupine, western pasque flower, and bistort.

We turned left at the start of the loop and climbed for a third of a mile to the Pacific Crest Trail at Chinook Pass.

Western pasque flower seedheads and aster.

Valerian and bistort

Larkspur

Arnica, fleabane, lupine, bistort, and valerian.

Partridgefoot

Highway 410 at Chinook Pass.

Trail sign for the PCT.

We turned right on the PCT and crossed the highway on an overpass.

The PCT was more level as it traversed the hillside below Naches Peak.

Looking back at Yakima Peak.

We were leaving the National Park and entering the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest.

The top of Mount Rainier to the left of Yakima Peak.

Saxifrage

Bird’s beak lousewort

At one point we looked back toward Yakima Peak and spotted some deer dashing across the hillside.

Doe and two fawns.

White mountain heather

Wilderness information for the William O. Dougals Wilderness.

Paintbrush

Grass-of-parnassus and an arnica.

Allumroot

Columbine with several other types of flowers.

Cusick’s speedwell

Pink monkeyflower

Wilderness sign

Bird with a snack.

Naches Peak

Just under a mile from Chinook Pass the PCT passes a small tarn below Naches Peak. We detoured around the tarn on a use trail.

Sickle-top lousewort

Penstemon

Aster

Pink monkeyflower and arnica

Pussytoes

Dewey Peak

The top of Mt. Adams between Dewey and Seymour Peaks.

Mt. Adams

Golden-mantled ground squirrel enjoying the view.

Dewey Lake below Dewey Peak.

We came to a junction 1.7-miles from Chinook Pass where the PCT forked left to head downhill to Dewey Lake.

Heather decided not to make the side trip down to Dewey Lake as it added over 600′ of elevation gain, and over 3 miles to the hike. I headed down the PCT which made one big switchback then headed more directly toward the lakes.

Double Peak with the snowy Tatoosh Range behind.

Stevens, Boundary, and Unicorn Peaks

Yarrow

Rainiera

No fires reminder.

Dewey Lake

There are several smaller ponds/lakes along the PCT in addition to Dewey Lake.

The largest of the smaller bodies of water.

Reflections in a pond.

PCT along Dewey Lake.

I turned around at the southern end of the lake and headed back to the Naches Peak Loop.

Elephants head at Dewey Lake.

Sandpiper

Junco

Great blue heron

Lousewort

Mushrooms

Grouse

The signs at the Naches Peak Loop junction ahead.

I continued counterclockwise on the Naches Peak Loop. The wildflowers were not as thick on this side of Naches Peak, but the views of Mount Rainier were excellent.

The Tatoosh Range.

Mt. Rainier and Naches Peak

Unnamed lake along the Naches Peak Loop.

There were some good flowers near the unnamed lake.

Robin

A nice buck crossed the trail just ahead of me then disappeared into the forest.

Harebells

Cedar waxwings

Mt. Adams

Hawkeye Point and Johnson Peak in the Goat Rocks Wilderness in front of Mt. Adams.

Sourdough Ridge

Yakima Peak and Highway 410.

Tipsoo Lake from the southern trailhead.

Yakima Peak from Tipsoo Lake.

Mt. Rainier from Tipsoo Lake.

Butterfly

Pine siskin

The trailhead where we had parked on the far side of a small pond.

With the detour to Dewey Lakes my hike wound up being 7.2-miles with roughly 1200′ of elevation gain.

This wound up being the perfect hike to end our trip with providing big views and extensive wildflower meadows along with a surprising variety of wildlife sightings. It was also short enough that we on our way back to Salem a little before 10am allowing us to be home mid-afternoon (no thanks to Portland traffic). It had been a great trip, even with the flat tire the first day. The temperatures had been especially welcome as it never got above 60 degrees Fahrenheit. It seems like it had been many years since our last summer vacation that didn’t include 90-to-100-degree temperatures at some point. We were also pleasantly surprised with how often we didn’t notice the crowds. While the park was busy there were times every day where we were able to enjoy a feeling of solitude, even in the Paradise Area. We weren’t in the park on a weekend so things might have felt differently on a Saturday, but our experience was very positive. I don’t know when we’ll be back, but there are still plenty of trails left for us to explore at Mount Rainier. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Naches Peak Loop

Tags cedar waxwings, Chinook Pass, deer, Dewey Lake, grouse, hiking, Mount Rainier National Park, Naches Peak, Naches Peak Loop, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, Pacific Crest Trail, PCT, Tipsoo Lake, Washington, wildflowers, William O. Douglas Wilderness

Hiking Mt. Rainier Trip report Washington Washington Cascades

Comet Falls and Snow & Bench Lakes – 08/07/2025

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date August 14, 2025
No Comments on Comet Falls and Snow & Bench Lakes – 08/07/2025

After a wet Wednesday the forecast for Thursday looked a lot drier with only a slight chance of a shower in the morning and partly sunny skies by the afternoon. Our plan was to continue the waterfall theme from the day before (post) by visiting Comet Falls then check out a pair of lakes, Bench and Snow, before returning to Packwood for one final night.

It was dry but overcast when we arrived at the Comet Falls Trailhead.

The Van Trump Trail climbs relatively steeply for almost two miles to the base of Comet Falls. Total elevation gain is approximately 1250′ making this a fairly strenuous hike.

This footbridge is over Chrstine Falls which we got a view of the day before.

Van Trump Creek

Paintbrush

Several salmonberries were consumed during this hike.

Pika!

Fireweed

The steep set of stairs ahead were a workout.

Pearly everlasting

Beardtongue

Monkeyflower and yellow willow-herb

Unnamed fall on Van Trump Creek.

Rocky stretch of trail where the pikas were seemingly everywhere.

One pika!

Pika number 2, with snack.

Tall mountain bluebells

Confluence of the West and East Forks of Van Trump Creek.

Footbridge over the East Fork Van Trump Creek.

Bloucher Falls

It was just 200′ from Bloucher Falls to a viewpoint of Comet Falls. Unfortunately fog was hiding most of the view from the viewpoint, but continuing on the Van Trump Trail produced clearer views.

Comet Falls is over 300′ tall.

The best view of the morning before more fog rolled in.

The Van Trump Trail continues steeply uphill to Van Trump Park and can be connected to the Rampart Ridge Trail (post). Originally, we had planned on visiting the wildflowers and views at Van Trump Park, but after rearraigning our plans due to Sunday’s flat tire (post) and Wednesday’s rain we decided to turn around at Comet Falls.

Right about the time we headed back more fog moved in really obstructing the view of the falls.

Fog was now affecting the view of Bloucher Falls as well.

We kept our eyes out for pikas on the way down and were not disappointed.

Beardtongue

Pika with a mouthful of vegatation.

Stonecrop

Harebells

Penstemon

A pika and a thrush.

Blueberries

Twinflower

Chestnut-backed chickadee

Final drop to the trailhead.

Our 3.8-mile, 1250′ track.

From the trailhead we headed back toward Packwood for eight miles to the Snow Lake Trailhead. The trailhead itself was closed for repaving/striping, but we’d hoped to find a spot along one of the nearby pullouts. The two closest pullouts were full so we wound up driving 0.4-miles back up Stevens Canyon Road to the next available pullout.

The closed trailhead.

The pullout we parked at.

We had a 0.4-mile road walk to reach the trail.

The full pullouts on either side of the road.

While the trail is only about 1.2-miles long it gains over 600′ in a series of steep ups and downs.

False hellebore

Unicorn Peak in the clouds.

Gentian

The northern end of Bench Lake. There is reportedly a view of Mt. Rainier to the north from this rocky overlook however the clouds eliminated any chance of that today.

Spur trail to the left down to Bench Lake.

The spur trail was steep and very eroded. Heather took one look and said “no thanks” and continued on to Snow Lake.

On a clear day there would be a view of Mt. Rainier from the southern end of this lake.

Blurry great blue heron on the far side of Bench Lake.

After checking out Bench Lake I followed Heather toward Snow Lake.

Paintbrush

Footbridge over Unicorn Creek.

Arnica

Spur to Snow Lake Camp and the privy to the left.

Snow Lake

Sickle-top lousewort

Snow Lake from the outlet.

\
Snow Lake Trail passing above Snow Lake.

Unicorn Peak

The end of the maintained trail.

Unicorn Creek near its source.

Tents at Snow Lake Camp across the water.

We headed back after visiting Snow Lake and while the clouds began to break up the sky didn’t clear up enough for us to ever see Mount Rainier.

Unicorn Peak with a little blue sky.

Nuthatch

We stopped at the overlook of Bench Lake again to watch some deer in the brush below.

No view of the mountain today.

Due to where we parked this stop came in at 3.7-miles with a little over 700′ of elevation gain giving us a total of 7.3-miles and 1950′ on the day.

We returned to Packwood for our final night. We had burgers from Cliff Droppers for dinner then watched the elk graze in the grass behind our room.

Group A

Group B

Another great day at Mount Rainier was in the books with one more hike remaining. The next morning we would be heading for the Naches Peak Loop where we hoped to see some great wildflowers and epic views of Mount Rainier. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Comet Falls and Snow & Bench Lakes

Tags Bench Lake, Cliff Droppers, Comet Falls, hiking, Mount Rainier National Park, Packwood WA, Pika, snow lake, Snow Lake Trail, Unicorn Creek, Unicorn Peak, Van Trump Creek, Van Trump Trail, Washington

Hiking Mt. Rainier Trip report Washington Washington Cascades

Narada, Christine, Carter, Madcap, and Silver Falls (Mt. Rainier) – 08/06/2025

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date August 13, 2025
1 Comment on Narada, Christine, Carter, Madcap, and Silver Falls (Mt. Rainier) – 08/06/2025

The arrival of rain showers Wednesday had led us to change our plans into a “Waterfall Wednesday”. Our plan was to visit four or five of Mount Rainier National Park’s waterfalls starting with Narada Falls. With the rain clouds overhead we got a little later start and arrived at the Narada Falls Trailhead just before 6:30am.

Located along the Paradise River a short trail drops 100′ in just over tenth of mile to a viewpoint of the 168′ waterfall.

Small cascade above Narada Falls.

The viewpoint below from the top of Narada Falls.

Paradise River

The trail down to the viewpoint. It is possible to connect to the Wonderland Trail a tenth of a mile from the viewpoint allowing for longer hikes to Reflection Lakes or the Longmire Area.

After visiting the viewpoint we returned to our car and continued driving four miles west on Paradise Valley Road to a pullout just before Van Trump Creek.

An even shorter trail here led to a viewpoint of Chrstine Falls.

There was no sign for the short, paved path.

The path dropped about 40′ in less than 100 yards to the viewpoint.

Christine Falls

After checking out Chrstine Falls we again traveled west on Paradise Valley Road to the Longmire Area. Here we planned for a more substantial hike to Carter and Madcap Falls along the Wonderland Trail. We could have followed the Wonderland Trail down from Narada Falls to visit these two falls but that was a much steeper section of the trail than coming up from below. This was our second time starting a hike from Longmire. In 2019 we did an excellent Fall hike to Indian Henry’s Hunting Ground (post).

From Longmire we followed a pointer for the Wonderland Trail near the entrance road.

We followed this short 0.1-mile connector to the actual Wonderland Trail where we forked right.

In 2019 we had returned to Longmire via the left-hand fork.

The Wonderland Trail climbed gradually through the forest with occasional glimpses of the Nisqually River for 1.6-miles to the Carter Falls Trailhead.

Red huckleberries

Huckleberries

Starting at the Carter Falls Trailhead makes the hike to Carter and Madcap Falls 2.8-miles with 660′ of elevation gain. According to the Park’s construction schedule this TH was going be closed for repaving/striping on Wednesday, but that didn’t turn out to be the case.

From the Carter Falls Trailhead the Wonderland Trail dropped down to the Nisqually River where it crossed on the river on a single log footbridge.

Fireweed

Heather was not a big fan of how swiftly and close the river was flowing to the bridge.

Beyond the bridge the trail continued to climb, but now it was following the Paradise River.

There was a relatively short but steep section along this old pipe.

The steps ahead meant that we were close to Carter Falls.

Carter Falls

A tenth of a mile beyond Carter Falls the trail arrives at Madcap Falls.

Madcap Falls

We declared victory at Madcap Falls and returned the way we’d come. We had thus far avoided any heavy showers and had just experienced a light mist for most of the morning. As we neared Longmire the rain did pick up but fortunately it wasn’t long before we were back in the car.

The bridge coming from the other directon.

The Paradise River joining the Nisqually River.

Arriving back at the short connector trail to Longmire.

This hike wound up being 6.2-miles with approximately 1000′ of elevation gain.

We headed back toward Packwood with one more possible stop. Since we weren’t entirely soaked and it was still before Noon we were hoping to find a parking spot at the Grove of the Patriarchs Trailhead so we could visit Silver Falls. (We originally had also been planning on visiting the Grove of the Patriarchs, a stand of giant old growth trees, but the suspension bridge leading to the grove is damaged and that hike is currently closed.)

The busy, but not full, Grove of the Patriarchs Trailhead.

From this trailhead we crossed Stevens Canyon Road following a pointer for the Eastside Trail.

Normally a 3-mile loop is possible here, but ongoing construction had closed part of the loop near the Ohanapecosh Campground.

It was raining less here than it had anywhere else all morning allowing for a nice hike down through a beautiful forest.

Foam flower

The Ohanapecosh River was spectacularly clear and colorful.

A spur to the left leads to an overlook, but the better view is from the far side of the bridge over the river.

Silver Falls from the overlook.

For the best view skip the overlook and head for the railed section of trail across the river ahead.

The Ohanapecosh River flowing away from the bridge.

Silver Falls

This was our favorite view just uphill from the bridge.

After admiring this amazing waterfall we headed back the way we’d come. This stop was 1.6-miles and 300′ of elevation gain giving us a total of 8.3-miles and 1550′ of total elevation gain on the day.

All five of these waterfalls were worthy of a visit and this was a perfect day for it. We returned to Packwood and after hanging up our gear to dry we went out for coffee and bakery items from The Mountain Goat Coffee Company which really hit the spot. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Narada, Christine, Carter, Madcap, and Silver Falls

Tags Carter Falls, Christine Falls, hiking, Longmire, Madcap Falls, Mount Rainier National Park, Narada Falls, Nisqually River, Ohanapecosh River, Packwood WA, Paradise River, Silver Falls, The Mountain Goat Coffee Company, Washington, wonderland trail

Hiking Mt. Rainier Trip report Washington Cascades

Fremont Lookout and Burroughs Mountain (Mt. Rainier ) – 08/05/2025

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date August 12, 2025
No Comments on Fremont Lookout and Burroughs Mountain (Mt. Rainier ) – 08/05/2025

After getting replacement tires and hiking some of the trails in the Paradise Area on Monday (post) we headed for Mount Rainier’s Sunrise Area early Tuesday morning. Timed entry reservations are required to enter the Sunrise Corridor from 7am thru 5pm in 2025, so we made sure we were plenty early to avoid needing one.

We left Packwood, WA a little before 5am and stopped at Sunrise Point just before 5:45am to catch the tail end of the actual sunrise.

Alpenglow on Mt. Rainier.

Mt. Adams behind Barrier Peak

The view NE.

After the spectacular sunrise we continued up Sunrise Road and parked near the Sunrise Visitor Center.

Our first visit to Mount Rainier had been a 4-day backpacking trip (post) on the Northern Loop which began from Sunrise. Our first 1.6-miles followed our route from that trip following a “Trail Access” pointer to a wide trail next to a signboard.

There was no fog as there had been the day before, so we had good views as we climbed through open meadows toward Frozen Lake.

Looking back at the Sunrise Day Lodge.

Western pasque flowers and Mt. Rainier.

There is good signage throughout the park.

Parry’s arnica

Pine siskin

We went left when we reached the top of Sourdough Ridge.

A short distance along the ridge we were alerted to a herd of elk below in Huckleberry Basin.

There are at least seven elk visible in this photo.

A cow and three calves.

The trail climbed up along Sourdough Ridge and past Frozen Lake to a 5-way junction. The wildflowers on this side of the mountain are not as profuse as they are in the Paradise Area but there was still a nice variety of flowers in bloom.

False hellebore

A few remaining phlox flowers.

Paintbrush and aster

Rainiera

Pearly everlasting with a few paintbrush intermixed.

Harebells

Alumroot

Goldenrod

Lousewort and partridgefoot

First pika of the day.

Golden fleabane

Dwarf lupine

Penstemon and alpine false dandelions.

Catchfly

Frozen Lake which supplies water to the Sunrise area and is off-limits to visitors.

The 5-way junction. The Wonderland Trail is the first to the left and continues straight ahead. The Burroughs Mountain Trail is the second to the left heading uphill toward Mt. Rainier. To the right is the Mount Fremont Trail.

When we hiked the Northern Loop we had gone straight on the Wonderland Trail from this junction. Today’s plan was to head right to the Fremont Lookout then return to this junction and head out the Burroughs Mountain Trail returning to Sunrise via Shadow Lake.

We headed for the Fremont Lookout which was 1.3-miles away. After a brief initial steep climb the trail eased up and gradually climbed along the open hillside.

We took the righthand fork.

Passing above Frozen Lake.

Shrubby cinquefoil

The Burroughs Mountain Trail on the far hillside.

Heading up.

Frozen Lake behind.

The Fremont Lookout at the end of the ridge ahead.

The views from this trail were impressive as was the number of pikas living along the rocky hillside.

Looking back at Mt. Rainier.

Skyscraper Mountain directly ahead.

Pika

The rock fin in the foreground was pretty cool.

Yellow-bellied marmot

Penstemon

The trail eventually came to the top of the ridge as it neared the lookout.

The lookout is on the other side of the knoll ahead.

From the ridge we could see a ridge to the east where a herd of mountain goats was hanging out.

Heather pointed out this group in the rocks.

We took a break at the lookout taking in the views. It was chilly enough that we were eventually prompted to continue on.

Mount Rainier from the Fremont Lookout. Berkley Park is the green area below where the Northern Loop Trail climbs up to meet the Wonderland Trail.

The West Fork White River (post) below to the left. The plateau to the right is Grand Park (post).

The Mount Fremont Trail along the hillside with Little Tahoma to the right.

Chipmunk. Always begging but we will not be swayed. Please do not feed the animals no matter how cute they are.

Golden-mantled ground squrriel

Rocky Mountain goldenrod and alpine sandwort.

Paintbrush

Talus collomia

We made our way back down to the Burroughs Mountain Trail and began another 1.3-mile climb to Second Burroughs Mountain.

Bird’s beak lousewort

Cusick’s speedwell and white mountain heather.

Mt. Rainier beginning to come into view.

Looking across at the Mount Fremont Trail. The lookout is visible on the left shoulder of the middle peak.

Mount Rainier and Second Burroughs Mountain from First Burroughs Mountain.

I had gotten ahead of Heather and missed a mountain goat that peered over the hillside above her on the trail.

Our return trail, the Sunrise Rim Trail, met the Burroughs Mountain Trail on First Burroughs Mountain.

Berkeley Park from First Burroughs.

The Burroughs Mountain Trail dropped to a saddle between First and Second Burroughs Mountains then made a relatively steep climb to the top of Second Burroughs Mt.

Looking back at the saddle.

Heading up Second Burroughs.

The Goat Rocks (post) to the south.

Gilbert Peak, Goat Citadel, Littel Horn, Chimney Rock and Old Snowy Mountain in the Goat Rocks Wilderness.

Glacier Peak to the north beyond the Fremont Lookout.

All of my maps showed the Burroughs Mountain Trail dropping down from Second Burroughs and steeply descending to the Inter Fork River below Glacier Basin, however a trail does extend to Third Burroughs Mountain. That would have added three miles and over 1150′ of cumulative elevation gain to the day. That would have been tempting had we not already hiked up to the lookout, but since we had and we had another three days of hiking ahead of us we declared victory at Second Burroughs.

First Burroughs and the Inter Fork.

Emmons Glacier

Old Desolate Mountain to the left and Sluiskin Mountain to the right.

Bench on Second Burroughs.

Not sure if this is a thrush or something else (Merlin thought it was a horned lark but that doesn’t look right at all.)

After a nice break on Second Burroughs we headed back to First Burroughs and the Sunrise Rim Trail.

Pink mountain heather

Tundra aster

Lenticular cloud forming over Mt. Rainier.

The Sunrise Rim Trail junction.

We turned right on the Sunrise Rim Trail. This trail descended for 1.4-miles to the Wonderland Trail near Sunrise Camp and Shadow Lake.

A buckwheat

The lenticular cloud was growing.

Lupine and lousewort covered the hillside in spots.

Goldenrod and yarrow

As far as I can tell this unnamed lake isn’t shown on any maps.

Silverback luina

Dwarf mountain ragwort

Narrow sepal phacelia

Sourdough Ridge ahead.

Aster

Orange agoseris

Checkerspot

As we neared the Wonderland Trail we reentered the tree line where the wildflower display really picked up.

Sunrise Camp below along with the Wonderland Trail.

Old cabin near Sunrise Camp.

The Wonderland Trail heading toward Frozen Lake.

A short distance beyond Sunrise Camp we arrived at Shadow Lake.

Bistort and other flowers at Shadow Lake.

Lupine and elephants head

Shadow Lake

We stayed on the Wonderland Trail for another 0.7-miles beyond Shadow Lake then forked left for 0.6-miles to return to the Sunrise parking area.

Cinquefoil

More clouds forming. As nice as it was today Wednesday’s forecast called for showers all day with a chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon.

Clark’s nutcrackers

We forked left a second time at a junction with the Silver Forest Trail.

Sunrise Visitor Center

After dropping off our packs we took a moment to explore the Visitor Center before heading back to Packwood.

This was interesting although neither of us had it in us to actually attempt to jump.

This hike clocked in at 9.3-miles with a little over 2000′ of elevation gain.

This was another amazing hike with huge views, plenty of wildflowers, and a lot of wildlife. It was also less crowded than the Paradise Area had been. I don’t know if that is a result of the timed entry reservation system or simply our choice of trails but there were plenty of moments of solitude during this hike. We had an early dinner at Cruiser’s Pizza back in Packwood (they have a full menu in addition to pizza) and worked on finalizing our plan for Wednesday’s hikes. With rain showers in the forecast for the entire day we did some shuffling of our planned hikes and made Wednesday a waterfall Wednesday. We were happy with our new schedule for the remainder of the week and were looking forward to the rest of the hikes. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Fremont Lookout and Burroughs Mountain

Hiking Mt. Rainier Trip report Washington Washington Cascades

Paradise Area (Mt. Rainier) – 08/04/2025

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date August 11, 2025
2 Comments on Paradise Area (Mt. Rainier) – 08/04/2025

We had planned five days of hiking in Mount Rainier National Park starting with a visit to the Sunrise Area. Those plans fell through when we experienced a flat tire on Sunday’s drive to Walupt Falls (post). In 2024 the park instituted a timed entry reservation system to help alleviate congestion in parts of the park. In 2025 the Sunrise Area was the only one subject to timed entry. Timed entry reservations are required from 7am to 5pm. Reservations are not required outside of that window however and given our penchant for early starts our plan was to arrive well before 7am.

Instead of heading to the park first thing Monday morning we were waiting for 7am when Rod’s Tire Source in Randle, WA opened. Thankfully not only did they have tires in stock that would fit our Subaru they could get us in just after 8am. That meant we should have plenty of time to still get one of our other planned hikes in. We made the 14-mile drive to Randle and the folks at Rod’s were all ready for us at 8am. They had us on our way shortly after 8:30am, and after stopping by our room to grab our packs we headed for the Paradise Area of Mt. Rainier.

The Paradise Area is possibly the most popular area at Mt. Rainier and had been subject to the timed entry reservations in 2024. Due to road and pavement projects in 2025 timed entry wasn’t applied to Paradise in 2025. By the time we reached the trailhead parking area at 9:45am it was full. Luckily there was space along a pullout between this lot and the picnic area (the picnic area acts as overflow parking).

Sign for the picnic area from the pullout.

We headed toward the picnic area the crossed the road to a set of stairs that led to the lower parking area.

The forecast had been for partly sunny skies, but the parking area was socked in with fog. We hoped that it might burn off at some point, but regardless we were excited to be getting a hike in at all given the tire issue. We stopped at a signboard and confirmed out planned route which was to hike the Skyline Trail counterclockwise.

Because we started from the lower lot we needed to take the Alta Vista Trail to the Skyline Trail.

The wildflowers were amazing from the start, and we couldn’t imagine what it would have looked like if the fog wasn’t limiting our sight distance.

When we arrived at the junction with the Avalanche Lily Trail a family mentioned that there was a doe bedded down a couple hundred feet to the left, so we detoured that way.

The doe bedded down in the wildflowers.

We kept the proper distance from the doe and used the zoom on the camera to get some photos.

After a few pics we headed back to the junction and took the Avalanche Lily Trail toward the Jackson Visitors Center where we picked up the Skyline Trail.

Jackson Visitors Center

We headed toward Myrtle Falls to do the loop counterclockwise.

Paradise Inn

A big patch of partridgefoot amid other wildflowers.

Arnica and multiple other flowers.

Shooting star

Mostly bistort

We detoured down the short path to the Myrtle Falls Viewpoint before continuing on the loop.

Myrtle Falls

Edith Creek above Myrtle Falls.

Pink monkeyflower and a speedwell.

A white field of valerian (and some bistort).

There are a number of trails crisscrossing the Paradise Area allowing for shorter loops and a lot of exploration.

Spirea

Yellow penstemon

Coiled lousewort

Arrowleaf groundsel

Bird’s beak lousewort

It wasn’t all wildflowers, but it mostly was.

Sickle-top lousewort

We ran into a small crowd gathered below a talus slope. Most of them were watching a hoary marmot but there was also a pika for those who spotted the small animal.

Pika

Marmot

The marmot was busy looking for brunch.

Tall mountain bluebells

After watching the critters for a few minutes we continued on past the parade of flowers.

Fireweed

Thistle

There were so many flowers it was impossible to catch everything but on this hillside we spotted some yellow paintbrush.

Paradise River

Paintbrush in front of western pasque flowers.

Columbine and yellow willow-herb

Pink mountain heather and lupine

Sparrow with a snack.

Bracted lousewort

Cusick’s speedwell

Golden-mantled ground squirrel.

Despite the many reminders not to feed the wildlife we witnessed several people unable to follow this simple rule (at least one of which got bit).

Phlox

Beargrass

Elephant’s head

Monkeyflower

Bird and some sort of willowherb (tiny pink flowers on the right).

Bird’s beak lousewort and white mountain heather.

First patch of snow along the trails.

Pussytoes

Cinquefoil

Western pasque flower in bloom.

Saxifrage

Marsh marigold

Catchfly

Orange agoseris

Pink monkeyflower

Littleflower penstemon

As we neared the highpoint of the loop the fog began to give way.

Golden fleabane

When the trail gained a ridge there was a slightly obscured view of Mt. Raininer.

I took a seat on a rock and watched the changing views while I waited for Heather to catch up.

The Goat Rocks on the left with Mt. Adams on the right.

I was not alone at the viewpiont.

When Heather got to my rock I left my pack with her and continued up the ridge to McClure Rock.

McClure Rock straight ahead.

Penstemon

There was a little more elevation involved than I had anticipated.

Aster and partridgefoot

Giant cairn on McClure Rock.

Climber’s trail heading toward the mountain.

A look at people on the snowfield above.

Goat Rocks and Mt. Adams from McClure Rock.

Bismark Peak to the right with Mount Aix behind Nelson Ridge.

Pussypaws

Dwarf lupine

I returned to Heather and we continued on the loop which quickly reentered the fog.

Raven

Goldenrod

Penstemon

The Panaroma Point Overlook was crowded despite being in the fog.

Back into the flowers.

Arnica, mountain heather, and lupine.

Bog laurel

Gentians

Saxifrage

The only snow remaining over the trail.

Lots of marmots along the route.

Fleabane and mountain heather

Fleabane and paintbrush

We decided to leave the Skyline Trail when we came to a junction with the Dead Horse Creek Trail

The stroller was empty, not sure what the story with that was.

The Dead Horse Creek Trail was much less used which provided a little more solitude as we headed downhill. There was not a noticeable drop off in flowers though.

Not sure what this chipmunk was eating but it wasn’t from us or any other person we saw.

We paused to watch four marmots on a rock, two of which were wrestling.

We stayed right here on the Dead Horse Creek Trail.

Flowers along Dead Horse Creek.

Nuthatch

As we neared the end of trail we spotted another deer bedded down amid the flowers.

Buck in the wildflowers

The lupine was profuse near the bottom of the Dead Horse Creek Trail.

Stairs leading to the lower parking lot.

My hike here wound up being 7.7-miles with a little over 2000′ of cumulative elevation gain.

Before we headed back to Packwood we drove up to the upper parking lot and found a spot near the visitor’s center and went inside to grab a little food and check out the exhibits.

When we finally got back to our room we were greeted with a few elk grazing in the grass out back. (This was a regular occurrence.)

It turned out to be a great day considering we started off needing to replace our tires. Our plan was to visit the Sunrise Area on Tuesday where the forecast was for mostly sunny skies. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Paradise Area

Tags Alta Vista Trail, Dead Horse Creek Trail, Edith Creek, hiking, Jackson Visitor's Center, McClure Rock, Mount Rainier National Park, Myrtle Falls, Packwood WA, Panorama Point, Paradise, Paradise Area, Paradise River, Skyline Trail, Washington, wildflowers

Hiking Mt. Rainier Trip report Washington Washington Cascades

Indian Henry’s Hunting Ground (Mt. Rainier National Park) – 9/21/2019

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date September 27, 2019
3 Comments on Indian Henry’s Hunting Ground (Mt. Rainier National Park) – 9/21/2019

We spent most of the Summer doing day hikes from home so that we could be back in time to give our elderly cats their daily medicines which put a limit on how far away we could go, but we had purchased tickets to the Seattle Seahawks/New Orleans Saints game prior to Buddy getting ill so my parents graciously took over for a day. We took the opportunity to drive up the day before the game and stop for a hike in Mt. Rainier National Park.

This would be our second visit to the park having hiked the Northern Loop on a 4-day backpack in 2015 (post). For this visit we were looking for something on the SW side of the mountain that would be a good late Summer/early Fall hike. A little research led us to Indian Henry’s Hunting Ground from Longmire.

We arrived at Longmire just after 8am and prepared to set off on the Trail of Shadows.

Our trail was located across the park entrance road from the National Park Inn.

Also across the road was the shear cliffs of Rampart Ridge and the snow capped summit of Mt. Rainier.

We were excited to see the mountain as it had been raining for several days and more rain was forecast for the next few, but a partly sunny forecast had at least given us some hope.

The Trail of Shadows is a .7 mile interpretative loop around Longmire Meadow. We followed this trail clockwise for a quarter mile where we arrived at a junction with the Rampart Ridge Trail.

We turned left on the Rampart Ridge Trail which promptly began climbing via a series of switchbacks to the top of the ridge. The trail climbed through an old growth forest with lots of mushrooms this time of year and a bit of fall color showing on the maples.

The trail gained the ridge after a little under 1.5 miles and began to follow it to the NE. One and three quarters of a mile from the junction we forked right to a signed viewpoint overlooking Longmire.

The position of the Sun wasn’t ideal, even with some clouds around, but Eagle Peak was also visible (albeit through some trees) rising above Longmire.

Less then a quarter mile from the viewpoint we came to a turn where the trail began to descend, but before we started down we followed a short path to a rocky viewpoint where we got a better look at Mt. Rainier.

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Mt. Rainier was the main attraction but to the NW behind the clouds was another interesting and colorful peak, Mt. Wow.

We spent quite a while at the viewpoint before starting down on the Rampart Ridge Trail which we found turned back toward the mountain and provided another spectacular view.

We were soon back in the mushroom filled forest grateful for having gotten such a nice view of the mountain already. We figured if the clouds moved in, at least we’d gotten to see that .

After 2.9 miles on the Rampart Ridge Trail we came to a signed junction with the Wonderland Trail.

Here we turned left following the pointer for Indian Henry’s (Hunting Ground)

We had gained over 1400′ climbing up to Rampart Ridge and now we began to lose 400 of those feet as the Wonderland Trail dropped to Kautz Creek in 3/4 of a mile. Mushrooms remained a main theme of the hike as we descended through more green forest.

As we neared Kautz Creek the mountain once again came into view.

We dropped into the washed out canyon of Kautz Creek where, you guessed it, there were some more interesting mushrooms amid the rubble.

Satuick Mountain

The crossing of Kautz Creek was fairly easy as far as glacier fed streams go. The creek was split into three channels which were small enough to rock hop across dry footed.
First crossing

Second crossing

The third channel was the largest but still relatively small.

Mt. Rainier from the far side of Kautz Creek.

The trail then reentered the forest and shortly arrived at Pyramid Camp.

Yet another big mushroom.

After a brief stint in the trees we emerged at another washed out creek bed. According to the map this was Pearl Creek (which later becomes Pyramid Creek after merging with a couple of other streams).

This creek would have been a little trickier to cross had it not been for the presence of a pair of footbridges.

After crossing the creek we popped back into the forest and almost immediately came to a clear spring.

Beyond the spring the trail began to climb steeply gaining over 400′ in a half mile before becoming a bit more gradual as it traversed up the hillside crossing a few creek beds along the way.

There were quite a few coral fungi present as well.

Fishers Hornpipe Creek

The mushrooms in the back had exploded.

A few red huckleberries left to eat.

Approximately one and three quarters of a mile from the Pearl Creek crossing we arrived at Devil’s Dream Creek.

This creek flowed through a narrow slot canyon that looked (and sounded) really interesting.

Although the trail briefly climbed uphill along side the canyon there were no views to speak of save one look down to the water below. From that spot it sounded like there was some sort of waterfall just upstream but there was no angle available to see anything so we settled for more colorful mushrooms.

A half mile after crossing Devil’s Dream Creek we did spot a waterfall downhill to the right of the trail just before arriving at Devil’s Dream Camp. A path led down to the creek here. There wasn’t a lot of water flowing but it looked like it might be a pretty good waterfall when there was more flow.

After the side trip we passed through the 8-site Devil’s Dream Camp.

Bear pole

It was uphill through the camp but not longer after passing the group site the trail leveled out a bit and entered the first meadow as we neared Indian Henry’s Hunting Ground.

A larger meadow followed with a view of Mt. Rainier hiding behind Iron Mountain.

Gentians

Mushrooms in the meadow.

Gray jay in the huckleberries.

A quarter mile from the camp we arrived at Squaw Lake.
Iron Mountain from the lake.

We crossed Devil’s Dream Creek again as we passed around the lake.

I don’t know where the actual boundary of the hunting ground is but beyond Squaw Lake the meadows kept opening up more as we neared a backcountry patrol cabin.

Western pasque flower

Finally Mt. Rainier came back into view.
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We spotted the patrol cabin approximately 8 miles (according to my GPS) into the hike. The cabin was set back in some trees overlooking the meadow with Mt. Rainier in the background. It couldn’t have been a more picturesque setting.

IMG_9874_stitch

We had been playing leap frog with another pair of day hikers who had planned on turning back at the cabin. We had also considered that given the distance and elevation gain to get there, but the mountain was so visible we decided to push on to Mirror Lakes which was just under a mile away. From a junction with the Kautz Creek Trail near the cabin we followed a pointer for the Mirror Lakes Trail .3 miles down the Wonderland Trail.

The Wonderland Trail lost a little elevation before arriving at the Mirror Lakes Trail junction. Views of Mt. Rainier were plentiful along the .3 mile stretch.

We turned onto the Mirror Lakes Trail which was pretty wet in spots from the recent rains, as were the meadows alongside the trail.

There were a number of frogs in the meadow and they seemed to be enjoying the extra water.

Most of the flowers were long since past but a few stragglers were hanging on.
Paintbrush

Butterfly on the remains of an aster.

Gentians

While the Summer flowers were mostly gone the nearby hillsides were heralding the arrival of Fall.

We were glad that we’d decided to go on even before reaching the Mirror Lakes as the trail just kept getting us closer views of Mt. Rainier.

Pyramid Peak to the right.

The best was yet to come though. The largest (and first) of the little lakes that make up the Mirror Lakes had a perfect reflection of the still mostly cloud free mountain.

We lingered for awhile studying the mountains various features.

We would have loved to have stuck around longer but we still had a long hike back to Longmire and a 2 hour drive to our motel so we pulled ourselves away and started back. In the time it took to reach the patrol cabin the clouds had increased noticably.

The shift in the clouds did reveal more of Emerald Ridge to the north which had some interesting features.

We returned the way we’d come until arriving at the Wonderland Trail/Rampart Ridge Trail junction. This portion of the hike saw us spotting additional mushrooms that we hadn’t noticed earlier and a few more frogs, including one at the spring near Pearl Creek.

This guy was tiny.

Frog on a rock at the spring.

The clouds had really moved in by the time we were crossing Kautz Creek and Mt. Rainier was gone.

From the Wonderland/Rampart Ridge junction we stayed straight on the Wonderland Trail which, in addtion to being new trail, was at least a mile shorter route back to Longmire.

The trail lost elevation pretty quickly and was fairly steep in places. The mushroom theme continued here as well.

The trail did level out some as it passed below Rampart Ridges cliffs and over a swale on a boardwalk.

We crossed the Paradise Road and soon after turned at a pointer for Longmire.
Looking back across the road.

Our feet were sore and our knees tired but the 16.4 miles had been more than worth it. As we were loading up the car a gentleman asked if we would give him a ride out of the park. He had been on the Wonderland Trail but after 5 days of rain everything was wet and he hadn’t been able to cook some of his food so he was living to fight another day. His car was at Mowhich Lake though so we gave him a lift to Ashford and dropped him off at a motel/restaurant there before heading toward Seattle.

It was a great start to the weekend, if only Seattle’s play had been half as impressive as Mt. Rainier was maybe they could have pulled out a win. Ah well, we will take a beautiful hike over a single W any time. Happy Trails! (and GO Hawks!)

Flickr: Indian Henry’s Hunting Ground

Hiking Mt. Rainier Trip report Washington Washington Cascades

Mt. Rainier National Park – Northern Loop Trail Day 4

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date August 21, 2015
1 Comment on Mt. Rainier National Park – Northern Loop Trail Day 4

I had another night of poor sleep as my stomach decided to mutiny shortly after 11pm so I was happy to finally see the sky begin to lighten in the morning. After having breakfast and packing up we left Fire Creek Camp and climbed back up to the Northern Loop Trail.

We had over 2000 feet of elevation gain ahead of us again today but we were feeling surprisingly good as we set off. We were tired but at the same time we both felt like we could do this for at least a few more days. It was encouraging since someday we’d like to do a long trip when we have the time.

We had just over a mile and a half climb to reach Grand Park. Along the way we a couple of viewpoints offered great views of Mt. Rainier.

Grand Park lived up to its name. Despite the dry weather it was still an impressive sight and the views of Mt. Rainier were spectacular.

As we were passing through one of the smaller meadows we noticed that there was frost on some of the plants. It was funny how excited we got seeing the frost. It has been such a hot and dry year that the sight of the frost was a welcome sight.

After leaving Grand Park the trail headed down a ridge.

We had been able to see the trail far up the valley climbing out of Berkeley Park and here we were heading downhill.

The trail eventually stopped dropping and began climbing again below Mt. Freemont. Lodi Creek was on the opposite side of the trail between Mt. Freemont and Skyscraper Mountain. We passed through several small meadows with views of Skyscraper Mountain where we spotted a mountain goat.

We spotted a second mountain goat on the cliffs of the mountain a little further along the trail.

As we passed Berkeley Park Camp we found more frost covered plants and even saw a small pool with a thin layer of ice.

The trail continued to climb up the valley along the increasingly scenic Lodi Creek. We popped out of the shadow of Mt. Freemont into sunlight filled meadows and quickly warmed up.

As we neared the top of the valley we spotted a pair of marmots on the hillside. They were hilarious to watch especially when one of them plopped itself down on a rock and spread out its legs.

When we arrived at the Wonderland Trail I realized that I had forgotten that there would still be more climbing to do. I had been thinking we would be heading downhill from that point on and was disappointed when I realized my mistake. The .7 mile climb to Frozen Lake was probably the hardest for me because I had planned on coasting downhill at that point, but once we had reached the lake I was over my mistake and back to enjoying the scenery.

Near the lake I happened to say the word “goat” and two girls nearby freaked out. They thought I had spotted one and they really wanted to see one. They were disappointed to learn that I hadn’t really seen one and even more disappointed to learn that we had seen two on Skyscraper Mountain from Berkeley Park because that was where they had come from. We left them by the lake and turned up the Sourdough Ridge Trial. Shortly after doing so we did spot another goat. Three to be exact, a nannie and two kids.

We looked back to see if they were following but they hadn’t come around the bend yet. Heather considered running back to tell them about the goats but there was no guarantee that she could reach them before the goats disappeared.

We stopped a couple of times along the trail to take in the view to the north. This was the furthest north we’d been while hiking and were seeing Cascade peaks that we had never seen before including the snowy Glacier Peak.

After getting some pictures of the new mountains we began our final descent. The trail was full of hikers huffing uphill from Sunrise. We couldn’t believe how many people there were and we were becoming anxious to reach the car, get cleaned up, and escape the crowds. It was such a stark contrast to the peacefulness of the Northern Loop Trail.

We dropped our packs off at the car and then stepped into the snack bar to get a cold drink and a souvenir. We had discussed chocolate milk on the trail after some muddy water had reminded us of the drink and it had sounded really good. We wound up leaving the snack bar with the most expensive chocolate milk we’ve ever had. Mine was gone before we even got back to the car.

I don’t know when we’ll get back up to Mt. Rainier but I have a feeling we haven’t seen the last of that National Park. Happy Trails!

Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/9319235@N02/albums/72157655104282083

Tags berkeley park, fire creek camp, Frozen Lake, glacier peak, grand park, hiking, lodi creek, marmot, Mount Rainier, Mount Rainier National Park, mountain goat, mt freemont, skyscraper mountain, Washington

Hiking Mt. Rainier Trip report Washington Washington Cascades

Mt. Rainier National Park – Northern Loop Day 3

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date August 21, 2015
1 Comment on Mt. Rainier National Park – Northern Loop Day 3

Day 3 started with the sound of water dropping onto the rainfly for our tent. We guessed by the sound that the rain had finally relented and what we were hearing was the water falling from the surrounding trees. We had managed to stay relatively dry inside the tent save for a small amount of condensation that had built up during the night. I ventured out to use the toilet and retrieve our bear bag and discovered we had guessed right. We decided to have a bar for breakfast instead of trying to cook under the dripping trees and then began packing up. There was another couple at camp who had arrived after the rain had started. We learned that they had gotten pretty soaked and it sounded like it had been a pretty miserable night.

We got our first good look at Yellowstone Cliffs as we headed back toward the Northern Loop Trail.

The clouds were breaking up and it looked like it might be a pretty nice day. The forecast had called for a slight chance of showers in the morning followed by a mostly sunny afternoon. We were treated to more great views as we passed through the meadows below the cliffs.

As we neared the end of the meadows we noticed a doe and fawn staring down at us. A third deer briefly appeared further up the hillside before disappearing back into the trees.

As we climbed higher Mt. Rainier began to peak out from behind Crescent Mountain. The summit of the mountain was a pristine white having been coated in a fresh layer of snow overnight.

We had been climbing gradually toward Windy Gap where we planned on taking a .7 mile side trail to visit Natural Bridge, a rock arch high above Lakes Ethel & James. The scenery along this section of the trail was magnificent even without the flowers being in bloom.

We took the trail toward Natural Bridge which wrapped around an unnamed butte before descending to a viewpoint of the arch. The view included both Lake James and Lake Ethel as well as the West Fork White River which we would be crossing later in the day.

After returning to the junction at Windy Gap we began descending down the Northern Loop Trail to Van Horn Creek which feeds into Lake James. The alpine meadows gave way to a beautiful forest as we neared the lake.

We headed for Lake James to cook our breakfast which had now become brunch.

It was a little chilly at the lake but it was also very peaceful. The area is notorious for mosquitoes but we didn’t see any signs of them as we enjoyed our Mountain House Biscuits and Gravy.

After breakfast we sallied forth dropping from the lake and passing beneath the fireweed covered Redstone Peak.

We were in a lush forest with mushrooms and birds.

We were heading for the crossing of the West Fork White River. The footbridge over the river had been washed out and we would be crossing on a log that was acting as the temporary bridge.
We had met a couple of ladies who were hiking the Northern Loop in the opposite direction and they told us they had chosen to scoot across the log instead of walking across it. That had been my plan as well having once done that to get across the Muddy Fork River on Mt. Hood. When we arrived at the log I briefly reconsidered and started to walk across but quickly reverted to the original plan as soon as I looked down at the muddy water.

Heather scooted across after me and we were ready to continue. Looking back across the river we got a glimpse of the lowest portion of Van Horn Falls. Like Garda Falls on the first day the only decent view was from across the river. Looking at the falls on Google Earth it’s clear that there is much more to it than is visible from the trail but it was still a pretty waterfall.

We met another pair of hikers shortly after crossing the river. They had come up the primitive West Fork Trail and asked us what animals we’d seen so far. We told them about the mountain goats and deer as well as the pikas, marmots, and chipmunks. The asked about any elk or bears and we said we hadn’t seen either of those yet. We took our leave and continued on passing the junction with the West Fork Trail.

Not long after passing the West Fork Trail junction something off to my left caught my attention. I turned just in time to see a large black bear emerge from some huckleberry bushes and race off into the forest. He had only been about 20 yards away and when his paws hit the ground they made a loud thumping noise. He was only visible for a matter of seconds and Heather had missed seeing it. It was amazing how quickly something that big could disappear into the forest.

We had another big climb ahead of us to reach our next camp. Fire Creek Camp was located in a quiet valley part way along the trail up to Grand Park.

We took the .4 mile trail down to the quiet camp which was the most private of all the camps we’d seen thus far. A small stream draining from Grand Park above supplied a water source. We chose site #2 partly because we had chosen site #2 at both of our previous camps as well but it was also the nicest of the spots here.

We set up our tent and spread out anything that was still damp from the day before to dry.

It was a chilly evening and we wound up using our rain gear as a windproof layer to keep us warm. It was certainly a more peaceful evening than the rain filled one the day before. It had been a great trip so far and we were eagerly anticipating what the final day would have in store for us as we turned in for the night. Happy Trails!

Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/9319235@N02/albums/72157657420370715

Tags crescent mountain, deer, fire creek camp, Fireweed, lake ethel, lake james, Mount Rainier, Mount Rainier National Park, natural bridge, Northern Loop Trail, redstone peak, van horn creek, van horn falls, west fork trail, west fork white river, windy gap, yellowstone cliffs

Hiking Mt. Rainier Trip report Washington Washington Cascades

Mt. Rainier National Park – Northern Loop Day 2

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date August 20, 2015
No Comments on Mt. Rainier National Park – Northern Loop Day 2

The possible thunderstorms forecast for our first night had never really materialized. We heard a few rumbles in the distance but nothing had seemed close and we didn’t experience any rain overnight. The sky was a little cloudy as we packed up our tent but they seemed to be breaking up. We stopped at Mystic Lake to eat breakfast and enjoy the beautiful morning that was developing around us.

From Mystic Lake the Wonderland Trail climbed through gentian filled meadows to a saddle between the mountain and Old Desolate.

We were hiking with the animals this morning passing birds, frogs, chipmunks, and an owl who silently flew over our heads and down into a lower meadow.

The owl flying low over the meadow just before disappearing down the hillside.

Mt. Rainier was visible beneath the ever shifting clouds as we crested the saddle. The Carbon Glacier filled the valley before us and beyond that was Echo Cliffs and Mother Mountain.

Further down the glacial valley a mass of clouds covered the terrain. We were heading down toward those clouds and we remembered the rain that had been in the forecast for the day.

We followed the trail down to the meadows surrounding Moraine Creek. Along the way we spotted several pikas and had great views of a huge waterfall below Observation and Echo Rocks.

As we continued along Moraine Creek we entered the clouds.

About four and a half miles from Mystic Lake we came to the junction where the Northern Loop Trail split from the Wonderland Trail. The Wonderland Trail crossed the Carbon River on a suspension bridge while the Northern Loop Trail continued to follow the river down the valley. We took a short break here and took a peek at the bridge.

We continued on the Northern Loop Trail for another mile passing through a damp forest to another trail junction.

This junction was located near the lowest elevation point of our whole trip. From the junction the Northern Loop Trail turned uphill for a steep climb to Yellowstone Cliffs. We would be gaining some 2200′ in less than 3 miles to reach the spur trail to Yellowstone Cliffs Camp where we were to camp for the night. The park ranger who had given me our permits said the climb consisted of 38 switchbacks so we began counting them as we climbed. As we trudged up the hillside we were thankful for the clouds since they were keeping the temperature down. We were pleasantly surprised when we ended the switchbacks after about two dozen, well short of the 38 we had expected.

Heather coming up the switchbacks.

The trail became less steep after the swtichbacks before entering the meadows below Yellowstone Cliffs. The cliffs were shrouded in clouds as we started down the spur trail to camp.

By the time we arrived at the tent sites we were soaked due to the moisture on the plants. We quickly picked out our site and set up our tent.

Shortly after getting set up the rain began. It was early afternoon when it started and it wouldn’t let up until sometime during the night. This was our first experience with backpacking in the rain and we were a little concerned about our ability to stay dry. This became more of a concern when I noticed water pooling up outside of the tent near our heads. The ground was so dry and hard that the water wasn’t being absorbed at all. I quickly grabbed our trowel and attempted to drain and steer the water away from the tent. We’d also managed to forget to keep any food out for dinner. When it had started raining I ran the bear bag down to the bear pole and hung it without pulling anything out for dinner. We were left with some peanut m&ms, a small package of green olives, and a meat and cheese stick package apiece.

We stayed in the tent except for a quick trip the bathroom before attempting to sleep. Heather didn’t seem to have any trouble but I had a difficult time. The rain kept coming and I couldn’t stop wondering if we would stay dry and on top of that there was an occasional sound of large rocks falling from the cliffs. The camp was far enough away that I wasn’t worried about them at the time, but I wondered what would happen if they were still falling while we were on the trail in them morning. To top it all off my stomach decided that it really would have enjoyed dinner and that made it just a little harder to get any sleep. I managed to get a couple of hours of broken sleep waiting for morning to arrive. Happy (dry) Trails!

Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/9319235@N02/sets/72157657416432875

Tags carbon glacier, carbon river, echo cliffs, echo rock, hiking, moraine creek, mother mountain, Mount Rainier, Mount Rainier National Park, Mystic Lake, Nothern loop trail, observation rock, old desolate, Pika, Suspension Bridge, Washington, wonderland trail, yellowstone cliffs, yellowstone cliffs camp

Hiking Mt. Rainier Trip report Washington Washington Cascades

Mt. Rainier National Park – Northern Loop Day 1

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date August 20, 2015
3 Comments on Mt. Rainier National Park – Northern Loop Day 1

At the beginning of the year Mt. Rainier National Park was near the top of our list of places we still needed to visit. On our initial hiking schedule I put down four days at Mt. Rainier and began researching possible hikes. The Northern Loop Trail looked to be the perfect choice coming in at close to 40 miles. We decided to submit a request for the necessary wilderness permits in hopes that we would be lucky enough to acquire them. In order to camp in the parks wilderness we needed to have permits and the number of permits are limited due to the limited number of designated camp sites available. The park began accepting permit applications on March 15th and ours was in the mail that day. All requests submitted between 3/15 and 3/31 were collected and on April 1st they began to process them. We found out on May 1st that our application had been accepted and our planned itinerary approved. We had requested Thursday 8/13/15 thru Sunday 8/17/15 with our camp sites being Mystic Camp, Yellowstone Cliffs Camp, and Fire Creek Camp.

We had been excited about the possibility of this trip even before finding out that we got our permits and that excitement only grew when we got the good news. As the date of our trip approached we kept a close eye on wildfire and weather information. Although it has been a bad year for fires none were affecting the park which was good news. The weather news was a little less exciting. The forecast called for a chance of showers or thunderstorms Thursday afternoon and evening and rain on Friday, possibly up to half an inch. There was also a slight chance of showers Saturday morning before becoming sunny for the rest of the weekend. We had our reservations though so we made sure we had plenty of waterproof gear before heading to the park.

The weather was beautiful when we arrived at the Sunrise Visitors Center on Thursday morning. Mt. Rainier was as massive as we’d been led to believe and we couldn’t wait to get started.

We took the Sourdough Ridge Trail up toward the Wonderland Trail (the 93 mile trail that loops the entire mountain) marveling at the views along the way.

In a typical year the flower displays would have been near their peak but just like the rest of the Pacific Northwest they had bloomed at least a month earlier than normal. It didn’t matter though because the scenery and views were spectacular and the few flowers that remained gave us an idea of what it might look like in full bloom.

We met the Wonderland Trail near Frozen Lake. This lake acts as a domestic water supply and was roped off.

Two other trails met at the junction, the Mt. Freemont Trail and the Burroughs Mountain Trail. Both of these looked interesting but would have to wait for another day.

We took the Wonderland Trail which passed below Burroughs Mountain where we spotted over two dozen mountain goats lounging in the shade of the cliffs.

We continued down to another junction, this one with the Northern Loop Trail. This would be our return route to complete the loop on Sunday.

From the Wonderland Trail we had a good view of the climb that awaited us on that final day.

The Wonderland Trail then climbed to a pass on a ridge below Skyscraper Mountain where we took our first snack break where we were joined by a marmot.

From the pass the trail then headed downhill into a forest passing Granite Creek Camp.

We were on our way down to the Winthrop Glacier and to a crossing of Winthrop Creek. The sky had become rather hazy by the time we made it down to the glacier making it difficult to see the mountain. The glacier was much larger than any we’d been around on other mountains in the Cascades.

We passed under Garda Falls which was hidden from the trail, but after crossing Winthrop Creek on a foot bridge and climbing a bit we could look back and see the falls in the forest.

We climbed out of the glacial outwash plain and back into the forest.

Shortly after reentering the forest we arrived at a sign announcing Mystic Camp where we picked out a site and set up camp.

The camp was below Old Desolate and near Mystic Lake. The rocks on Old Desolate were very interesting.

After setting up camp we headed up the trail to Mystic Lake. It was a pretty alpine lake nestled between Mineral Mountain and Old Desolate. The lake shore was dotted with gentians.

We decided to have our dinner at the lake but hadn’t brought it with us so Heather headed back to camp to get our stove and food. When she got back she told me she met a doe and her two fawns along the trail. After dinner we headed back to camp and discovered the deer were still in the small meadow where she had seen them earlier.

Back at camp we found another deer. This one was a buck who was leisurely passing through camp eating as he went.

The showers had never materialized as we turned in for the night. We did hear a couple of rumbles of thunder during the night but never saw any lightning and it never did rain. It had been a great start to the trip and we were looking for to the rest of it. Happy Trails!

Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/9319235@N02/albums/72157657389155121