Turn right, enter the park and walk downhill following the lake for about .25 mile on the nicely graveled trail. This is a popular trail and you will meet plenty of people walking, jogging, or biking on the trail. The trail passes a small pier with view of the lake then the trail turns left and goes uphill. A small seasonal creek gurgles just off to the right on this uphill section.

From Enumclaw, drive about 47 miles on Hwy 410 and continue south onto Hwy 123. In about 6 miles turn right and drive about 4 miles and take the first left after the tunnel, into the parking area.

From Portland: Take I-5 North towards Seattle and drive for about 75 miles.
Take exit 68 for US-12 East. At the top of the off ramp, turn right onto US-12 and travel about 71.8 miles. This takes you past Morton and through Packwood. From Packwood, drive about 8 miles and turn north at the junction for Highway 123. Drive about 6 miles, past the Ohanapecosh Campground and turn left on Stevens Canyon Road. Drive about 4 miles and take the first left after the tunnel, into the parking area.

There are bathrooms and water at the trailhead.

From the trailhead, the trail drops down sharply and there are a few stairs on the first section of the trail. Walk .5 mile down to the junction and walk to the right to a viewpoint of a small waterfall on Stevens Creek. In about another .2 mile is a junction to the Wonderland Trail, and if you want to walk farther along the Wonderland Trail, Maple Creek campground is 1.7 miles away. Turn right at the junction and cross over the new bridge spanning Stevens Creek. Take in the views of the creek cutting through the bedrock and the noise of the creek.

Drive up Girl Scout Road for .3 mile and park at the top of the rise where the road widens into an area that looks like a gravel pit.

To return, take HWY 14 west back through Stevenson, and after about 2.5 miles, turn left and cross the Columbia River at the Bridge of the Gods. The toll is $1.00 for the bridge.

After the bridge, the road loops around and intersects Hwy 30, Cascade Locks Hwy, near the base of the bridge. Turn left here and you will merge onto I-84 west in about ½ mile. Follow I-84 west, back to Portland.

No permits are required at this trailhead.

No bathrooms are available at the trailhead.

Length and Elevation: 
2.7 miles roundtrip. Elevation gain xx Feet and loss 50 feet to the summit. Total gain and loss is xx Feet. Elevation at the trailhead is 150 feet, the summit elevation is xx feet.

Trail:
Wind Mountain Trail.

There is at least one geocache along this trail at: N 45° 42.191 W 121° 45.318. Info at Geocaching.com

Trail Maps:
Topo Map, Download Garmin .gpx file

 
Review: February 21, 2010

Walk downhill down the dirt road about .1 mile to where a rocky trail goes off to the right, uphill. There is a tiny pulloff on the left side of the road.

The rocky little trail goes uphill past moss and fern covered ground. The understory growth is mainly Oregon Grape, ferns, and salal with Douglas Firs providing shade.

As the trail climbs, it becomes less rocky and winds around towards the Columbia River, climbing up the eastern slope of Wind Mountain. The trail becomes more forested and less rocky. Areas of this trail are sloped a bit and on a wet, rainy day the trail could become slick.

The trail generally winds around Wind Mountain, climbing up through fairly dense stands of Douglas Firs.  Wind Mountain lives up to its name as the winds rush through the treetops.

After climbing for about .75 mile, you come to the first basalt scree fields which allows views to the east of Augsberger Mountain and Dog Mountain, which are on the next ridge to the east of Wind Mountain. The trail soon re-enters the woods and continues to climb fairly steeply up to the summit of Wind Mountain.

On up the trail there is a signboard with a poster warning you not to disturb any artifacts you may find. Just up the trail a bit is another sign talking about the Wind Mountain Spirit Qwest Site and warning that the archeological site is extremely fragile and walking over it will damage cultural features. All hikers are to stay on the trail or within the three designated viewing area on the summit.

Near the top, at the last small slope before the summit, the trail splits. The trail to the left is quite narrow and leads to a scree field with views of Mt. Adams, Dog Mountain, and the eastern part of the Columbia Gorge. The main trail goes straight ahead and comes out on a scree slope that overlooks the Columbia Gorge to the west and leads to the summit of Wind Mountain.

There is no point where there is 180 degree panoramic view because of the trees growing at the summit, but the scree slopes provide expansive views of the Gorge. To the south is Mt. Defiance, which can be identified by the repeater towers up on top of the mountain.

Retrace your steps back down to Girl Scout Road, then walk uphill back to the parking area.

This is a good low-elevation hike for the winter months. There are areas of the trail that traverse steep slopes which could be dangerous for young, inexperienced hikers.

Merge onto WA-164 W then turn left at Auburn Way S/WA-164 W and continue to follow WA-164 W for 14.7 miles.

Turn left at Roosevelt Ave/WA-410 E and continue to follow WA-410 E for 40.8 miles.

Make a slight right turn at WA-123 S and drive for 10.9 miles.

Turn right at Stevens Canyon Road and drive for 0.4 mile.

Highway 410 is seasonally closed during the winter.

There are bathrooms and water at the trailhead.

This is a very popular trail and the parking lot overflows on summer weekends.
The trail starts near the bathrooms and drops down to the Ohanapecosh River. You can hear the river almost from the trailhead and you get glimpses of the river as you walk along the trail. There are plenty of interpretive signs talking about different aspects of the forest.

Soon you’ll pass by a few old growth trees as you make your way along the trail. It is a short distance to the suspension bridge across the Ohanapecosh River. The bridge was damaged in the floods of 2006 but is now repaired. The bridge leads to an island with ancient Douglas fir and western red cedar trees. Shortly after crossing the river, the trail enters the Grove of the Patriarchs and you walk on a boardwalk. The boardwalk was added so that the thousands of people who visit this grove each year don’t compact the soil around the tree roots.

Where the loop begins, turn around, look for a tree inside the loop trail where you can see a little tunnel under the tree. The tree grew on a nurse log and the nurse log has rotted away.

The trail enters into a grove of huge cedar trees in this small area. The trees tower over you and shade out most of the other plants on the forest floor. Cedars like moist soil and from walking from the river, you can tell the land this grove grows on is just a little higher than the nearby Ohanapecosh River.

An interprative sign talks about 2 Douglas Fir trees that are over 1,000 years old. The sign explains that the trees are rotting from the inside and that only the outside 8 to 10 inches of the trunk is good wood. Someday the rot will cause the trees crash to the ground.

Nearby is a large Douglas Fir that toppled and fell, smashing part of the boardwalk and blocking the trail. The boardwalk was just repaired in the fall of 2009.

This is a great hike for small children as long as they aren’t afraid to cross a bouncy suspension bridge.

Enjoy the Photos!

Gallery Pics

Switchback Steve

The trail goes along the side of a large cedar  tree that has fallen down and makes a left off through the woods. Walk through a fairly wide trail past some huge old growth trees that have been here long before the park was established. Cedars like damp soil and the presence of moss-covered trees, ferns, and Devil’s club prove the soil here is moist here throughout the year.

Walk up to Timberline Lodge and make a left, walking past the front of the lodge on the paved road. The road quickly turns into gravel just before Magic Mile chairlift. Continue walking along this road, and pass under a second chairlift. Soon you will come to the junction for the Mountaineer Trail #798 where you take a right, uphill.

About .1 mile after the trailhead, there is a switchback to the right and the trail continues uphill. Turn left at the junction with the Timberline Trail, waypoint JCTTR. After about .5 mile, you reach the junction for the Mountaineer Trail, #798. It is a smaller trail than the Timberline Trail. It isn’t as popular as other trails because it goes straight up the mountainside.

Follow this narrow, sandy trail along a small gully to the right. The trees struggle to survive the harsh conditions get smaller and smaller as you continue to climb up the trail. As the trail continues to climb straight up the mountainside, it follows along the right side of a gully. The trail turns into the posted ski area just below the top of the Magic Mile Charilift. The view here are just spectacular and the early fall snow is especially beautiful.

The trail becomes fainter as you approach the elevation of the chairlift building. Just stay be the gully on your left and follow the trail on uphill, passing the Magic Mile chairlift. Once you reach the top of the chairlift, you can turn around by walking right to the Silcox Hut, or continue upward for even more spectacular view of Mt. Hood.

The trail becomes fainter as you climb higher and finally goes off to the right and joins another climbing trail, which in turn, soon joins yet another climbing trail. Continue climbing, enjoying the increasingly panoramic views as you walk along the Palmer Chairlift. Below you, the Silcox Hut appear. The Silcox Hut was built for climbers of Mt. Hood but now it can be rented out for parties.

Looking out over the valley, you can see the White River, off to the left of the parking lot, Highway 26, and Timberline Lodge is directly below. On the left, you can see into the dry plateaus of Central Oregon.

Work you way down along the left side, or the east side, of the Palmer Chairlift. The Snowcat track is probably the easiest route to follow to descend. Once you get to the Silcox Hut, about 500 feet to the left, or south, of the top of the Magic Mile Charilift. Walk over to the Silcox Hut and take a look at the craftsmanship that went into the construction of the hut, finished in 1939.

About 50 feet past the Silcox Hut is an old road that leads down to Timberline Lodge. After following the road for about .25 mile, there is a small trail junction off to the right that leads down to the Pacific Crest Trail. The trail soon passes several large clumps of creeping Juniper. You can see how slowly these plants grow in alpine environments. These short little plants hug the ground for warmth because the cool summers pass so quickly. The trail comes to a junction at Waypoint 035, and continues downhill past a large concrete water tank.

Cross the Timberline Trail/PCT and you are less than .25 mile from Timberline Lodge. You can continue straight ahead, or follow any path towards Timberline Lodge. You’ve reached the end of your journey, but maybe not the adventure.

Spend a few minutes, or maybe longer, and wander through Timberline Lodge and see all the carvings and other hand-crafted items.

To return to your car, take the trail to the left, just as you come to Timberline Lodge. It goes around a small hill and descends via steps to the parking lot at the east end of the Wy’east lodge.

Enjoy the photos!!

Gallery Pics

Switchback Steve

To reach the second road access, from Portland, Oregon, take I-5 South to Salem and take exit 258. Follow signs for Highway 22 west towards Lincoln City. Drive onHighway 22 west for 25.8 miles, then take the exit onto Highway 18 for 22.2 miles. Turn left onto Bear Creek County Road for 3.5 miles. Continue straight 7 more miles on Forest Service Road 17 to trailhead.

Vicinity Location:
About 58 miles southeast of Seattle, WA in Mt. Rainier National Park.

Directions:
From Seattle: Follow I-5 South for 25 miles and take exit 142A to merge onto WA Highway 18 East toward North Bend/Auburn. Drive 4.4 miles and take the Auburn Way/WA Highway 164 East exit toward Enumclaw for 0.2 mile.

Make a slight right at 6th St SE then turn left at Auburn Way S/C St SE/WA Highway 164.
Continue to follow WA Highway 164 for 14.7 miles then turn left at Roosevelt Ave E/WA Highway 410.

Continue to follow WA Highway 410 for 37.3 miles.
Make a slight right at Sunrise Park Rd and follow it for 15.0 miles.

From Portland: Take I-5 North towards Seattle and drive for about 75 miles.
Take exit 68 for US-12 East. At the top of the off ramp, turn right onto US-12 and travel about 71.8 miles. This takes you past Morton and through Packwood.

Make a slight left onto WA Highway 123, driving for 16.1 miles. This road is seasonally closed. Continue straight onto WA Highway 410 for 3.5 miles.

Make a sharp left onto Sunrise Park Rd and follow the road for 15 miles to the Sunrise Visitors Center.

The road to Sunrise is usually only open from July through September.

There are bathrooms and water at the trailhead.

Pets are not allowed on the trails in National Parks.

A permit is needed to park.

Trail:
Sourdough Ridge Trail, Burroughs Mountain Trail, Sunrise Rim Trail, and Wonderland Trail, and with connections to Huckleberry Creek Trail, Mt. Fremont Trail , Northern Loop Trail, and various other trails.

Trail Maps:
Topo Map, National Park Map

Length and Elevation:
6.7 miles round trip via Sunrise Camp. One way elevation gain of 1,200 feet and loss of 200 feet to Second Burroughs. Elevation gain of 800 feet and loss of 380 feet between Second and Third Burroughs. Elevation at the trailhead at 6,400 feet, highest point is at 7,828 feet. Lowest elevation is 6,400 feet.

Review: August 24, 2009.
On a sunny day be sure to bring a hat, sunscreen, and sunglasses for sun protection because almost all of the trail receives full sun and you get sunburned much faster at 7,000 feet than at sea level.

Park at the Sunrise Visitors Center and perhaps take in the exhibits at the Visitors Center and see the climbers ascending Mt. Rainier from the telescope next to the Visitors Center.

For a great view of Mt. Rainier and a good chance to see Mountain Goats, hike to Third Burroughs and back.

Start from the Sunrise parking lot, walk up the paved road and after a short distance, turn right and walk up the wide gravel trail. Enjoy looking at the hordes of people as you head uphill about .1 mile and turn left at the Y-junction to Sourdough Ridge Trail.

After about .75 mile, the trail levels off and actually drops down a bit. Continue on the dusty trail, crossing a large scree field but the trail is well maintained and fairly wide. Follow the signs west towards Frozen Lake, passing the junction with the Huckleberry Creek Trail.

At Frozen Lake, 1.4 miles from the trailhead, turn left at the 5-way junction and take the trail to Burroughs Mountain. Enjoy the increasingly teriffic views of Mt. Rainier and start looking for mountain goats on the hillsides because they like the slopes of Mt. Fremont and Burroughs Mountain.

Frozen Lake is fenced off because the lake is the water supply for the Sunrise area. Frozen Lake is a turning-back point for many tourists and from here the foot traffic really drops off.

It is a steady, steep climb from Frozen Lake up to First Burroughs, which is flat on top. This stretch of trail can be dangerous until late season snow melts off the northern facing slopes. Check with the rangers at the White River entrance if you plan to hike this in July. If this slope is covered in snow, it can be a fatal slide down the snow.

The trail levels out after about 2.4 miles as you reach the top of First Burroughs. There are great views from First Burroughs of Mt. Rainier, Little Tahoma, Fremont Lookout, and to the northeast. From there the trail drops down a bit, then climbs up to Second Burroughts at 7,400 feet. As you walk up towards Second Burroughs, the ground gets more and more desolate. The climate is too harsh for trees to grow, and there are just small flowering plants mixed in with fields of pumice and sand. Great views of the Winthrop Glacier on the right and Emmons Glacier on the left await, on a clear day.

From Second Burroughs, drop down across the saddle, pass the junction to Glacier Basin, and head up to Third Burroughs. Most years the snow lingers well into August along and over the trail. On a hot day, you can put a little snow in the top of your hat and let it cool your head as it melts.

Once you get to Third Burroughs you also get a great view of Carbon Glacier to the west and Goat Rocks in the distance to the east.

On the way back, at First Burroughs is a junction for Sunrise Rim Trail. Turn right and take this nice alternate back to Sunrise, 2.6 miles away.

The trail descndes fairly steeply down to the Sunrise Walk-in Camp. Soon you'll come to a 3-way junction. The easiest way back to the trailhead is to continue straight ahead on the Sunrise Rim Trail.

At the Sunrise Walk-in Camp there is a stinky outhouse and old boarded-up restrooms.

About 500 feet past the camp is an unmarked junction, take the right-hand fork to return to Sunrise Visitor Center. The left fork goes a short distance to Shadow Lake.

In about 300 more feet is the outet stream from Shadow Lake and another trail leading to Shadow Lake. Branch off to the left to see Shadow Lake then come back to the junction and continue down the trail back to Sunrise Visitor's Center.

The trail meanders a little and is mostly level back to Sunrise. There are some glimpses of Mt. Rainier off ot the right. In about a mile you cross on a wood bridge over a nice bubbling stream that drains a small wildflower meadow. You can hear the stream tumbling down a small steep valley to join the White River far below.

Shortly after you pass the stream, you come to the junction of the Wondewrland Trail leading down to White River Campground. Stay to the left and from here and continue gently uphill to the parking lot and past the junction for Glacier View Trail, which is a worthwhile side trip. The trail is a short walk down to a nice overview of the White River Valley and the Emmons Glacier.

You may notice breathing is more difficult because of the elevation. The trail is above timberline and large sections of the trail can be seen from a distance.

Enjoy the Photos!

Gallery Pics

Switchback Steve

The rules for getting a permit issued for a reservation is that you have to pick up your permit in-person no later than 10am on the first day of your scheduled trip. You get to make one set of changes free, then the next change is $20. As long as you have the printed confirmation, it can be a different person picking up the permit than who the reservation was made for.

I got the permit and went day-hiking because Drew, Zach, and Sarah were to meet me that night, Sunday, at the Sunrise walk-in camp. I finished my day-hike and had dinner at the Sunrise restaurant about 4:30pm. The grill closes at 7:30pm, so I didn't hurry to get my food order in. When I went back to my car, there was a crowd of people milling around. It took me a minute to realize they were in line to use the stinky vault toilets. I waited around and finally enough day-trippers cleared out of the backpacking parking area so that I could park in the area designated for backpackers.

I checked my food again to make sure I had enough for the trip and added a little extra for a safety buffer. I left a note for Drew and Sarah, put on my 35 pound pack, and headed to the payphone to call my wife and check-in with her. Then I remembered some directions for the trail that I had left in the car and I had to go back and get them.

Finally, I was off to camp, but first I stopped by the overlook of Emmons Glacier and took some pictures. I walked along the dusty trail to Sunrise Camp, passing lots of day visitors who were headed back home. There were flowers blooming along the entire trail. Mid-July is the best time to see flowers at Mt. Rainier.

I went to the west end of the camping area and found a spot, leaving a good place for Drew and Sarah to pitch tents. I walked up the Burroughs trail for a great view of Mt. Rainer and saw a family of Mountain Goats on the way back. It felt good to get in my tent away from the mosquitoes.

Drew and Zach showed up about 9:30pm and said that Sarah was too busy to come. I was sorry she was going to miss the trip along with the flowers and our company. I will have to wait to catch up with her on events.

If you start from the Sunrise Visitor’s Center, the trailhead is on the north side of the main parking lot. Follow this uphill and after .1 mile, keep left at the next two junctions leading to the Sourdough Ridge Trail. Follow the signs west towards Frozen Lake, passing the junction with the Huckleberry Creek Trail. This first part of the trail is the busiest, still you may see a marmot along the trail gathering food for the long winter. Winter in this part of the park can last from October to July or longer and the marmots hibernate through the winter in groups of up to 10, waking up now and then throughout the winter.

This first part of the trail has a continuous view of Mt. Rainier and views down into the shallow valley below the trail. There is a very rocky portion of the trail but trails near the visitor’s center are wide, well maintained, and heavily used.
 
1.4 miles from the trailhead, continue straight, past the 5-way junction at Frozen Lake, towards Berkeley Park. This is the highest elevation on the trail and a good spot to start looking for mountain goats on the hillsides and marmots along the trail. Frozen Lake is fenced off because the lake is the water supply for the Sunrise area. This is a turning-back point for many tourists and from here the foot traffic really drops off.
 
7/20 - The mosquitoes were waiting for us and wanted breakfast. We didn't want to serve them and put on bug spray, jackets, and I put on a bug net. I found out that you shouldn't peek at your stove burner with he big net on. Lucky for me only a tiny hole was melted in the netting.

We finished breakfast, packed, and left about 7:45am. The first part of the trail from Sunrise Camp is fairly gentle, but it gets pretty steep once the trail reaches the hillside. We navigated our way over a few large snow patches, then passed Frozen Lake.  , down to the campsite at Berkley Park. I made sure to stop at my favorite spring along the trail, dump out that city water, and fill up on the wonderful cold water.

From the 5-way junction, the trail heads down an old road that has been converted to a trail. You may see people hiking along the tops of the cliffs on the Burroughs Mountain Trail up on the left. The Northern Loop trail descends moderately to the junction of the Wonderland Trail and the Northern Loop Trail at 2.4 miles from Sunrise. Take the right fork for the Northern Loop Trail and descend more steeply, keeping an eye out for marmots and ptarmigans.
 
In the summer, the next couple of miles of the descent offer fields of wildflowers along the sparkling Lodi Creek. Along the way, stop at the large spring next to the trail and sample the icy-cold water. Mt. Fremont is on the right and Skyscraper Mountain is on the left.
 
Continuing down along the creek, the trail enters trees and after 3.9 miles you reach Berkeley Camp. At Berkeley Park, the campers told us the bugs would get worse as we continued to Grand Park. You have to put up with the bugs to see all the flowers carpeting the ground.

The trail continues down through the forest, leaves the creek and climbs up to Grand Park. Near Grand Park, enjoy the views at an overlook of the West Fork of White River and Mt. Rainier.

When we got near the cutoff to Grand Park, Drew hurt his calf muscle and we walked slowly to Grand Park for a snack break. At 6.9 miles from Sunrise is the junction to Lake Eleanor on the right. Grand Park is a 3 mile long flat pumice plain with spectacular views of Mt. Rainier. The only water in Grand Park is the early season melt pools, a couple of small lakes at the north end of Grand Park, and Lake Eleanor. Watch for elk and black bears in this part of the park.
 
We walked into Grand Park on the Lake Eleanor Trail for about .3 mile or so for spectacular views of Mt. Rainier. We found a shady spot to sit and the mosquitoes buzzed all around us. It has been several years since I saw so many blood-thirsty mosquitoes swarming. The insect repellent held them off, but they quickly pierced any unprotected skin. We had our snack and took in the views of Mt. Rainier, but didn't linger. As long as you were moving, the bugs weren't bad, but they were waiting for any slow or resting hikers.

Just a little past Grand Park on the Northern Loop trail is a fantastic overlook of the West Fork of White River with Mt. Rainier as a backdrop. Later, we were told that you can see Natural Bridge from here in the morning. From Grand Park the trail goes for 6.3 miles and drops down switch-backs a few thousand feet from about 5,650 feet down to 3,150 feet to the West Fork of White River. We encountered a lot of deadfall on the trail and walked by the junction to Fire Creek Camp. Some of the downed trees you could slide over, some crawl under, and others you just had to detour around. The only water available between Van Horn Creek and Berkeley Park Camp is to take a side trail and drop down to Fire Creek Camp.

Eventually we made it to the crossings for the West Fork of the White River and saw the flood damage. After picking our way, we found the river had cut a new main channel very near to Van Horn Falls. Luckily there was a trio of fallen trees to use to get across the river. You can now see Van Horn Falls from White River because of the river flooding.

From Van Horn Falls, the trail climbs many, many steep switchbacks. About a mile from Lake James, the trail crosses a level bench and then climbs more steep switchbacks. There are only trickles of water between Van Horn Falls and Lake James. The trail pauses on the edge of a lightning caused forest fire that closed the trail in 2005.

The fire was burning slowly and the terrain was too steep to fight so it burned until the fall rains put it out. Once the trail finally levels out, Lake James Camp soon appears on the right. Two of the sites have partial views of the lake. We liked site number two the best. Only the bear pole near the group site had been put up because the base for the other pole had only recently melted out.

We went to the lake and looked up to the Natural Bridge. Fish were jumping as we filtered water and sat in the sun. There were less bugs at the lake than there were at camp. Lake James Camp used to be here at the lake about 10 years ago.

7/21 - We broke camp and filtered water, then headed up the trail. The trail gains about 1,300 feet to Windy Gap. After about a mile of steep Switchbacks and deadfalls, we came to the junction to the junction to the ranger cabin. The trail to the cabin is an avenue of destruction. A large storm blew down dozens of trees on the trail and in the area. The cabin is undamaged and Zach checked on the outhouse. I took a picture of a waterfall on Van Horn Creek as it drops down the mountainside across the valley from the cabin.

Back on the trail, we climbed multiple switchbacks for 1.3 miles to the junction for Natural Bridge. The trail leaves the trees after about a mile from the cabin and there are good views of Sluiskin Mountain on the left.

We had hid our packs in a little grove of trees and walked the .9 mile to the overlook of the Natural Bridge and Lakes Ethel and James. The Natural Bridge is about a 120 foot wide arch of volcanic rock. The Natural Bridge is only about six feet wide. You can see where some people have walked down the hillside and out onto the arch. There was no way we were interested in taking a show-off risk like that. From out last trip, we had forgotten the trail drops from about 5,550 feet down to 5,200 feet, but we still thought the views were well worth the trip.

We filtered water at the small lake at Windy Gap. The lake was only about 1/3 melted out in late July. This is the only water along the trail until Carbon River Camp or Ipsut Falls, unless you make a side trip into Yellowstone Cliffs Camp. From Windy Gap you can see Tyee Peak and Yellowstone Cliffs up above on the right. At Windy Gap we took about a .8 mile side trip up to a beautiful overlook of Crescent Lake and Crescent Mountain. From the gap the trail starts dropping from about 5,400 feet down a bunch of switchbacks, re-enters the trees, and passes the junction to Yellowstone Cliffs Camp, 1.4 miles away.

At the junction to the camp, you are directly below Yellowstone Cliffs. Drew said that there are 52 switchbacks through the increasingly dense forest down to the north junction across Carbon River, 2.7 miles away. This is the lowest point on the Northern Loop trail at about 2,900 feet in elevation. None of us want to do the Northern Loop clockwise and have to go up these switchbacks. The last time we backpacked this trail, we met a guy going up the switchbacks with a full-sized aluminum lawn chair strapped to his backpack and enough fuel to boil all of his water.

Down at the river, we made the .3 mile crossing over the untamed Carbon River using several brand new log bridge crossings. The freshly hewn logs and railings smelled very nice.

The Wonderland Trail between this crossing and Carbon River Camp is closed until mid-August because of a washout.

Our camp was at Ipsut so we walked two more miles and lost 700 feet in elevation to about 2,350 feet above sea level, the lowest point on the Wonderland Trail. Ipsut Campground is no longer accessible by car because the Carbon river has washed out the road in a few places, including at the entrance to the campground. The streambed at the bridge is totally jammed with logs, the ranger cabin was taken to Longmire, and the campground is reservation walk-in only.

We found a spot, filtered water near Ipsut Falls, and had dinner. The bugs weren't bad here, but we were tired and soon went to bed anyway.

7/22 - We realized we barely had enough food for our trip, so we started pooling our food to last until we got back to the restaurant at Sunrise. We walked the two miles back to the crossing and I talked with a woman on a trail crew about the trail washout. She also told me they saw a black bear along the trail the day before

Back on the Northern Loop, we walked the 1.1 miles upriver and walked across the suspension bridge for our 10am break. We sat on the glacier gouged rock at the west end of the bridge and listened to the thundering sounds of rocks rolling down the river while we ate. From ere, the trail climbs steeply for .8 miles and passes some exposed areas, and leads up to Dick Creek Camp. We took a bathroom break here. The toilet spot has a good view of the Carbon Glacier and a unique sign on the toilet for the guys. The Wonderland trail also has a wonderful stream to filter water right at the junction to the camp.

From Dick Creek, at 4,140 feet, the trail climbs steeply until Moraine Park, at about 5,700 feet. Be sure to look for marmots hanging out in the meadows and hope for a clear day for a spectacular view of Mt. Rainer as you pass through the park. From the south end of Moraine Park it is another short slog up to a saddle at 6,100 feet. Early in the summer, make the short side-trip to a nice pond just to the right of the trail in the saddle. You'll see plenty of tadpoles or frogs, depending on the passage of the summer. This pond pretty much dries out in late summer.

From the saddle, drop steeply down switchbacks to a meadow and Mystic Lake at 5,700 feet. You can take the .2 mile walk to the ranger cabin, but it isn't much of a view compared to the top of the saddle. Drop down another .3 mile to Mystic Camp, which is only 3.6 miles from Dick Creek Camp, but feels much farther than that. Deer always seem to come by the camp so keep a lookout for them in this area. Remember not to leave food out or unattended because black bears are also commonly found in this area. While we were at Mystic Camp, Zach and I put moleskin on our toes that were taking a beating from the downhill portions of the trail. By the fourth day my socks could just about stand up on their own. I bet the bears could smell my socks 5 miles away.

We stopped here to make our breakfast and went down from 5,600 feet at Mystic Camp to 4,600 feet at Winthrop Creek. The trail washed out along the White River several years ago and the re-route is the nicest section on this Northern Loop/Wonderland route, outside of the Sunrise area. The re-route rejoins the old trail and comes to a washout by Winthrop Creek. You have to go partway down the slope to the creek bed using a rope to hold onto. The trail crosses over raging Winthrop Creek on a log bridge and past Garda Falls, start the long climb through the forest to Granite Creek at 5,850 feet and 4.1 miles from Mystic Camp. This is another great stream for filtering water and it is a pleasant place to take a break and listen to the stream splashing down through the semi-open forest. The trail continues to climb fairly steeply up another 800 feet in elevation to Skyscraper pass at 6,650 feet, and about a mile from the crossing at Granite Creek. We took a break just below Skyscraper pass and finished off the last crumbs of our food.

Zach was thinking about getting a cheeseburger at Sunrise and was setting a sweat-off-the-brow pace. There are more great views from the pass and some people make a .5 mile side-trip up Skyscraper Mountain. We were now psyched for burgers and there would be no more side trips today. Sometimes there is a marmot that hangs around the pass, but not today so we dropped down to the junction of the Northern Loop Trail at 6,400 feet, 1.3 miles from Skyscraper Pass.

It is an easy .7 mile climb up to Frozen Lake at 7,000 feet. The wind was blowing about 30 miles per hour and you could see several tourists in their cotton T-shirts and shorts, unprepared for a cold wind. We hurried past them for the last 1.2 miles, gaining a bit more elevation, passing by one more exposed scree slope area, and then quickly dropping down at a rate of a tourist per every foot of elevation lost down to Sunrise at 6,400 feet.

We finished about 2pm and ordered our well-deserved bacon cheeseburgers and sodas. The smell of cooking bacon wafted through the dining area and we knew our orders were almost done. We placed our orders just in time because as we were savoring our burgers the kitchen ran out of cheese.

Now we had returned to civilization and now our hike was quickly becoming a memory that becomes fonder with time.

This is a fantastic wildflower backpack in early to mid-July. It is a “Must” hike during the peak season of the Lupines and Avalanche Lilies flowering. There are steep slopes and exposed scree fields along the trails, so hikers must know their limits and stay back from cliff edges.

Enjoy the photos!!

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