Van Trump Park, Mildred Point & Comet Falls — Tuesday, Sep. 7, 2021

Stats

• Distance: 15-1/2 miles (GPS overestimate probably ~3 miles)
• Vertical: 3829 feet
• Duration: 8 hours
• Weather: Sunny and warm, light wind in alpine, no smoke
• Takeaway: The trip up to Van Trump Park and Mildred Point from Comet Falls is a winner. This makes for a trip of diverse landscapes, and few people beyond Comet. Lots of unmaintained trail exploring above Van Trump Park

Having spent most of my Rainier time this year at Sunrise and Mowich Lake/Spray Park, I decided to head to the opposite side of the mountain and give this trail a try. Thanks to other people for sharing trail reports earlier. This trail did not disappoint - absolutely stunning from beginning to end!

Parking at this trailhead is quite limited. The good is that this limits the crowds on the trail, while the bad is that arrival timing is really key. The parking lot is quite small (15 cars?) and there is very limited road parking as the shoulders are narrow and steep (felt like someone could push my car over the edge with the first spot I tried!). I was happy with limited parking.

The trail to Comet Falls is beautiful, with water views most of the way. There is a reason this part of the trail is popular, and this is probably the best "water" hike I have done at Rainier.

I tried to capture the essence of this trail in my video below. I was surprised by the size and setting for Comet Falls itself - breathtaking. It reminded me of trips to Yosemite. Although the summer has been dry, there is plenty of water. Just prior to reaching the main event, there is a smaller set of falls that you must cross. There is a haphazard log crossing, but you may get your feet wet, especially on the return where the water had risen considerably over the morning and the logs no longer fully crossed the river.

The trail up through Comet Falls follows a canyon (with carved, punchbowl falls throughout) that seems to have confused my GPS, as you can see on my map below (the GPS Bermuda Triangle!). The mileage was likely overestimated by ~3 miles (not positive as I explored off the maintained trail above Van Trump Park).

Most (seemed like all) people turned around at Comet Falls, just as the trail is really just warming up. It only gets better, and what I love about this trail is the diversity of landscapes as you ascend to Van Trump Park and beyond. This next part of the trail starts with a set of switchbacks. They are short, which makes the folks turning around at the falls all the more perplexing. In just over a mile, one breaks out into a open meadow and a junction: Mildred Point straight ahead, and Van Trump Park to the right and up the hill.

We opted for Van Trump Park first. The end of the "maintained" trail is only 0.7 miles from the junction, but you can (and definitely should) continue much farther. The trail gets progressively rougher at you traverse first through sparsely treed meadows, and eventually leave the meadows behind altogether and enter a landscape of rock, snowfields and ice. We encountered mule deer, marmots and pika on the way up, as well at many goats dispersed across the landscape. The waterfalls are abundant here as well, along with steep drainages, from Van Trump Park and upward. This aspect of Rainier is a little different than most, with a couple smaller glaciers and much more rock. As always, one must protect the fragile environment staying on established trails ("unmaintained" after the first 0.7 miles, but still a trail) or solid rock.

We eventually returned to the junction and took the trail to Mildred Point. A caution here is probably of order (as my hiking party was not happy with me at this point and our GPSs saying we had gone father than we actually had did not help my case!). The trail to Mildred dips down to cross a river (don't fall in and get swept over the top of Comet Falls a short distance downstream!) and then climbs up again on the other side to a point that you will immediately recognize as nearly at the same altitude as upper Van Trump Park; close as the bird flies but unfortunately you must dip down to cross that river. The final section of the trail up to Mildred Point is particularly tiring after a long day - it is very steep with loose sand (beach hiking is notoriously hard!). The maintained trail ends at the point, and there is no obvious way to proceed, unlike Van Trump Park where you can hike up and up to your heart's content.

The hike from the junction back down to Comet Falls and the trailhead seems longer and rockier than you will likely remember from the way up. At this point, having ascended nearly 4K feet, you would be forgiven for feeling a little tired. The trail was mostly empty on the return, with folks having turned around at Comet Falls, and the beauty of the morning's full sunshine having turned to shadows.

Flowers were almost entiring well past, except near the falls where the extra moisture was keeping things going. Blueberries were abundant once past the junction and up to Van Trump Park. While I did not really notice bugs, I did have bites when I got home.

This combination of trails is a winner - wildlife, diverse landscapes, and some challenge and boot-trail wayfinding high in the alpine. I will be back!