Summerland
Last modified
Oct 26, 2009 08:43 AM
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Big Pants Trekkers
Meadow near Summerland, by Stephen Cobert, August 2002
Head up the cushy Wonderland Trail, where old growth, a roaring river and snow capped peaks will keep ones interest for the first three miles. You’ll then begin to switchback a time or two and gain elevation steadily until you reach Summerland Camp after 4.3 miles of hiking, which depending on the season, may be covered in snow or wildflowers. More adventurous types may wish to climb easy slopes 2,300' higher to Meany Crest, which features a gorgeous bivy site, large enough for 6-8, sheltered from the winds, and offering amazing views of Little Tahoma, Rainier and the Cowlitz Chimneys area and a look at the Stuart range, Glacier, Baker and a hundred others in the distance. You may see mountain goats grazing in Summerland meadows. Gaze up at Tahoma’s FryingPan Glacier and enjoy your time in this high meadow. Recent Trip Reports
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Ethan, Eric, & I drove over Chinook Pass this morning to meet Eric's parents, my old friends Phyllis & Ivar,...
Ethan, Eric, & I drove over Chinook Pass this morning to meet Eric's parents, my old friends Phyllis & Ivar, now of Anacortes, for a hike to Summerland. I hadn't been on this trail in over 20 years and it was just as nice as described: beautiful forest in the beginning, then climbing to the green meadows of Summerland. Most of the flowers were past along the trail, but at Summerland there were lots of monkeyflower along the creeks and gentians in the meadows, many still in bud. The day was sunny & not too warm with few mosquitoes. The mountain was out in all its glory until about 2:00 when some clouds started forming. By the time we were driving home it was completely obscured. It was nice to see old friends and to revisit a place I hadn't seen in a long time.
Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
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This was my hike #4 for Hike-a-Thon, and perhaps the best yet. Old growth forest, rushing water, and stupendous views...
This was my hike #4 for Hike-a-Thon, and perhaps the best yet. Old growth forest, rushing water, and stupendous views of Rainier after a couple of miles. Subalpine meadows at Summerland are filled with wildflowers (especially blue gentian as well as red-pink penstemon (I think) lining the banks of the creeks). Marmots next to the trail.
Ran into a group of 4 backpackers affiliated with WWU who were out for a week surveying butterflies for the Park. Heading into the alpine zone toward Panhandle Gap there are more flowers (including lupine) and interesting changes in the rocks (green) and soil (red). I saw a herd of 30-40 goats crossing the snow fields above. Views of Rainier and peaks beyond get better. Trail is in great condition, though crowded. There were some flies but they weren't really biting.
Summerland
— Jul 27, 2009
— el tigre
Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Issues:
Bugs
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Temperatures forecasted to reach the 90s argued for a shaded hike, which this is for the first 3 miles. Getting...
Temperatures forecasted to reach the 90s argued for a shaded hike, which this is for the first 3 miles. Getting on the trail by 8:15 also helped. The trail is in terrific shape the whole way: wide and dry, with a few glimpses of Frying Pan Creek cascading through a narrow chasm, and good views of Rainier toward the end. Spectacular wildflowers begin just after the bridge at about 3 miles; then switchback up to Summerland camp for more flowers, especially lupine. In Summerland itself there are views in every direction: up toward PanHandle Gap, across toward Goat Island Mountain, and of course Rainier. There are a few flies and enough mosquitoes to make the insect spray worthwhile, but hardly enough to bother you after that. On the way back downhill we ran into many hikers sweating it out in the rapidly rising temperatures - strongly encourage an early start if the weather is warm.
A great hike! Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Issues:
Snow on trail
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Had a very nice day on the trail to Summerland. Cool forest in the morning. The trail is in excellent...
Had a very nice day on the trail to Summerland. Cool forest in the morning. The trail is in excellent shape. Flowers began just across the bridge over Fryingpan Creek. Lots of avalanche lilies in the forest below Summerland.
I ran into a couple friendly faces at Summerland as Janet and Anne were heading down after camping there the night before. The route to Panhandle Gap is melting out fast. Only a few patches of snwo before the log bridge. Higher up there are steps leading all the way to the gap. A short steep snow climb at the gap or a dirt path that goes around it. I saw a herd of goats south of Panhandle. Just enjoying the cool snow. Heading higher it was a pleasant hike up Banshee Peak. Great views of Rainier, Adams, St. Helens, Galcier Peak and many closer peaks. The Cowlitz Chimneys are right nearby. Met two other hikes and spent the day with them. Enjoyable hike down. Bugs not too bad at all. A very nice day in the mountains. I have posted many more photos at: http://www.hikingnorthwest.com. Go to "Trips-2009" on the left margin. Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
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Great day at Summerland, tons of people out for fee-free weekend. It's great to see so many folks on the...
Great day at Summerland, tons of people out for fee-free weekend. It's great to see so many folks on the trails, especially a trail like this that can accomodate a crowd because there's so many places to disperse in the basin. It would be great if more people had better trail etiquette, or at least some common sense courtesy. Other than that, only happy things on the trail.
The trail is in great condition, completely snowfree to Summerland basin, with more flowers than I remember seeing on this trail before. Very few bugs, just some annoying flies on the lower stretches of the trail in the woods. No mosquitoes or biting flies today. We pulled up a good, warm lunch rock, peeled off our socks and boots, and had a bit of a nap near the stream. We got a good laugh at the HUGE marmots running around in the few remaining snowfields in the Summerland basin. We didn't go much farther, but we asked one of the many hikers who had gone up about conditions towards Panhandle Gap. The hiker we talked to said that the snowfields were soft and easy to cross, and that the crossing over the stream seemed safe and easy. |
Driving Directions
From Enumclaw, take Highway 410 east 43 miles to the White River Entrance of Mt. Rainier National Park. Veer right on Sunride Road, follow this 4 miles to the trailhead near Fryingpan Creek. |
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