Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
far from the Nisqually park entrance. An hour in the hot tub costs $10 per per-
son, while an hour massage costs $60. Alternatively, you can soak in a hot tub
and get a massage at nearby
Stormking
(
&
360/569-2964;
www.stormking
spa.com). Both of these places also have cabins available for overnight guests.
HIKING & BACKPACKING
Hikers have more than 240 miles of trails to
explore within the park, though the vast majority of park visitors do their hik-
ing at only two places—Paradise and Sunrise. However, despite the crowds,
these two alpine areas do offer the most scenic day hiking opportunities.
At
Paradise
, the 5-mile
Skyline Trail
is the highest trail and
climbs through beautiful meadows above the tree line. Unfortunately, the mead-
ows here, which are among the park's most beautiful, have been heavily damaged
by hikers' boots over the past century, and now there are signs everywhere telling
hikers to stay on the trails. Along the route of this trail there are views of Mount
Adams, Mount St. Helens, and the Nisqually Glacier. The
Lakes Trail,
of sim-
ilar length, heads downhill to the Reflection Lakes, which have picture-perfect
views of the mountain reflected in their waters. However, be forewarned that
these lakes lie right alongside the road through the park, and are very popular
with people who park by the roadside and get out of their cars for a brief stroll
by the lakes.
At
Sunrise
there are also numerous trails of varying lengths. Among these,
the 5-mile
Burroughs Mountain Trail
and the 5.5-mile
Mount Fremont Trail
are
both very rewarding—the latter even offers a chance to see mountain goats. The
Summerland Trail,
which starts 3 miles from the White River park entrance (the
road to Sunrise), is another very popular day hike. This trail starts in forest and
climbs 2,000 feet up into meadows with a great view of the mountain.
If you'd rather avoid most of the crowds, try the 2.5-mile round-trip trail to
Snow Lake,
which is set at the foot of Unicorn Peak. This trail involves only a few
hundred feet of elevation gain. You'll find the trail head between Paradise and
Ohanapecosh. For a longer day hike, try the 11-mile round-trip hike to
Indian
Henry's Hunting Ground,
which involves more than 2,000 feet of elevation gain.
This trail starts from the Kautz Creek turnout east of Longmire. In 1947, a huge
mudflow swept down Kautz Creek and buried the road here under 30 feet of mud.
Up in the northwest corner of the park, the 6-mile round-trip trail from Mowich
Lake to
Spray Park
is another breathtaking route that starts in the forest and
climbs a little more than 2,000 feet into beautiful alpine meadows.
The park's single most memorable low-elevation hike is the
Grove of the
Patriarchs Trail
. This 1.5-mile round-trip trail is fairly flat (good for kids)
and leads through a forest of huge old trees to a grove of 1,000-year-old red
cedars on an island in the Ohanapecosh River. The trail head for this hike is near
the Stevens Canyon park entrance (southeast entrance).
Another interesting and easy low-elevation walk is the
Trail of the Shadows,
a .75-mile loop trail in Longmire. This trail, which circles a wet meadow, leads
past bubbling mineral springs.
There are also naturalist-led programs and walks throughout the spring, sum-
mer, and fall, and on winter weekends there are guided snowshoe walks. Check
the park newspaper for schedules.
The 95-mile-long
Wonderland Trail
, which circles the mountain, is the
quintessential Mount Rainier backpacking trip. This trail takes 10 days to 2 weeks
to complete and offers spectacular scenery. However, there are also many shorter
overnight hikes. Before heading out on any overnight backpacking trip, you'll need
