Day Hike! Mount Rainier: The Best Trails You Can Hike in a Day (2nd Edition)
Ron C. Judd
Language: English
Pages: 225
ISBN: 2:00247334
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
For those who want to spend their days in the mountains and their nights back at home, whether newbie or seasoned veteran with hundreds of boot-miles logged, this book showcases Mount Rainier's most interesting trails. Revised and updated, this edition reviews more than 50 of the best day trails in this splendidly scenic area, from Paradise and Sunrise to the lower foothills. For each profile the authors include clear directions; USGS topographical maps; overall trail ratings; best season; special features for dogs, bikes, and kids; exploring options; elevation gain; estimated hiking time; and more. Organized by major highways, Day Hike! Mount Rainier details the damage done by recent harsh winters, updating those trails that have changed and offering alternatives to replace those that are no longer accessible. For maximum at-a-glance usability, each trail is rated on a 1-to-5 hiker scale for scenic views, water elements (such as streams and waterfalls), trail population, and fun factor.
Canyon/Ohanapecosh mushrooms, and other moist-climate plants you’d expect to see in a temperate rainforest or low-lying forest around Puget Sound. It’s almost like walking through a terrarium; the forest is peaceful and silent until you reach 0.5 mile, when Stevens Creek becomes audible below. When the trail reaches the dark, humid canyon floor, you’ll find a short spur leading left down to a fenced overlook of a gorgeous, unnamed low-rushing falls on Stevens Creek. A short distance downstream
only a few hundred yards can make in the climate. The minute you cross Chinook Pass to the east, you’ll see a change in the kinds of trees and wildflowers decorating the slopes—especially along the southeast-facing slope you’ll traverse for the first mile of this hike. Begin by following the horse trail as it climbs and switches back to join the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), 100 yards from the trailhead. Using this trail instead of beginning at the PCT trailhead will 114 sheep lake enable you
Glaciers below the Cowlitz Chimneys, due south; the White River drainage and Highway 410, to the east; Sunrise and Clover Lakes of the Palisades chain (see Hike 35) directly below to the northeast; and the Stuart Range, Glacier Peak, and Mount Baker far off to the north. If it’s very clear, you can even see the Olympic Mountains from here. Going Farther If you can arrange for a ride, keep descending down the ridge for another steep mile to the Sunrise Point parking lot, for a one-way hike of
the trailhead is also included here. Most of the trailhead directions will get you to the trailhead from the nearest national park entrance station. Here are some guidelines for getting to those entrances: In the summer, Mount Rainier is approached by two main access routes: Highways 7 and 706 from the Puyallup/South Tacoma area (to the Nisqually Entrance, Longmire, and Paradise); and Highway 410 from Enumclaw (take Highway 18 to Enumclaw from Interstate 5) beyond Crystal Mountain Boulevard, to
Highways 410 and 123 from the east, via Enumclaw or Yakima. (Highways 410 and 123 are closed in the winter.) On the northwest side of the park, both Mowich Lake Road and Carbon River Road are unpaved entrances to the scenic (and less heavily visited) north side. Both are accessed via Highway 165, which runs south into the park from Buckley and Wilkeson. These roads are open summer only, and often are in rough condition. And their future as auto-accessible roads is in doubt. The Carbon River Road,