Frommer's National Parks of the American West - Don Laine [282]
Sourdough Ridge/Dege Peak Trail
4.2 miles RT. Easy to moderate. Access: Sunrise Visitor Center.
From the trailhead, climb to a ridge top and turn east beneath the gaze of Antler Peak, after which you'll cruise along the ridge for wonderful views of Rainier to the south and the brilliant greens of the Yakima parklands below. At the top of Dege Peak, look south for close-up views of the Cowlitz Chimneys and farther-off views of snowcapped Mount Adams.
Summerland Trail
8.5 miles RT. Easy to moderate. Access: Past White River Entrance, on the way to Sunrise or White River area.
If you want to see some mountain goats, take this trail to Panhandle Gap, about 1.5 miles past the end of the 4-mile, one-way entrance to the Frying Pan Glacier area. Hundreds of hikers can flock to this trail on a peak summer day, so beware. And please stay on the trails to avoid trampling the wildflowers. It's a 3.5-mile graded walk through mature forests before entering the Frying Pan Creek area, where the scenery opens up into the brushy upper Frying Pan Valley. From there it's a steep .5-mile climb to the spectacular Summerland Meadows. The total elevation gain is 1,500 feet.
Sunrise Rim Trail
5.2 miles RT. Easy to moderate. Access: Sunrise Visitor Center.
This is a nature trail with many interpretive signs to tell you what to look for as you gaze up at Mount Rainier, to the north. About 1.5 miles into the trail, you'll arrive at Shadow Lake and, just beyond, the walk-in Sunrise Campground. With a little more effort, you can hike south to the glacier overlook and be awed by the blue-white overhangs of Emmons Glacier and on to the first Burroughs Mountain.
OHANAPECOSH AREA
Grove of the Patriarchs Trail
1.3 miles RT. Easy. Access: Just west of Stevens Canyon Entrance on Stevens Canyon Rd.
This short, level, and very popular trail follows the Ohanapecosh River before crossing over a bridge to an island of incredibly huge, thousand-year-old Douglas firs and western red cedars. Even though it's well traveled, it's still a pretty awe-inspiring place—if you can manage to find a little silence in which to meditate on the grandeur of the trees.
Silver Falls Trail
3 miles RT. Easy. Access: Ohanapecosh Visitor Center; start at far end of "B" Loop of Ohanapecosh Campground.
This trail, a fairly level one, is popular with families. It winds its way through old-growth forests and over a bridge above the pristine waters of the Ohanapecosh River facing the falls that give the area its name. The misty falls themselves drop 75 feet. Across the bridge below the falls is the return trail to the Ohanapecosh Campground.
NORTHWESTERN RAINIER
In 1999, the Carbon River Road reopened after years of storm damage. This is a very flood-prone area, and the road opens and closes periodically. For all trails listed below, remember that the road may end at the park boundary 5 miles from the Ipsut Creek Campground. Be sure to call the Park Information Line (☎ 360/569-2211) for information before taking any of the northwest Rainier trips.
Storm damage notwithstanding, the best way to reach trails in the northwestern section of the park is by driving to the end of the Ipsut Creek Campground Road (or as close as possible) and connecting with the Wonderland Trail, or driving in on the Mowich River Road (Wash. 165). Access to the Wonderland Trail along this corner of the park by car, unlike those on the southern and northeastern sides, is limited. The Carbon Glacier, Rainforest, Mystic Lake, Moraine Park, Mowich Lake, and Tolmie Peak trails are accessible from the Carbon River Road and the Mowich Lake Road by car, or from the Wonderland Trail on an extended hike.
Carbon Glacier & Moraine Park Trails
6–11 miles RT. Moderate to strenuous. Access: End of road at Ipsut Creek Campground.
You begin this hike toward Moraine Park on the Wonderland Trail, the first 3