Hiked to Frozen Lake, up the Burroughs Mountain Trail to the middle Burroughs, and then on to the farthest Burroughs and glacier views. Blooming flowers are rampant in the meadows along the road just before Sunrise, and colors line the shoulder of the road from below Sunrise Point all the way to Sunrise Lodge. The most surprising flower show was atop Burroughs - the middle peak had some blooms but the farthest summit showed what a tundra in bloom can look like. I bypassed the Sunrise Rim Trail that led up the nearest Burroughs Mtn because of posted warnings of deep snow on a steep incline; previous hikers say it's safe enough if you have poles or ice axe but I carried neither. There was one small snow patch on the way up the middle Burroughs en route to the stone shelter, and there were a few minor patches halfway up the farthest Burroughs with one major and steep patch near the summit of the third Burroughs. The major snow patch is not dangerous, just tedious to ascend - but oh so sweet to glissade down. Left Sunrise at 7:20 AM and saw no one until I was on my way back down. As left the summit of the third Burroughs, five hikers hurried up to claim my spot. Then except for a lone hiker at the stone shelter I saw no one else until I was back at Frozen Lake where there was trail traffic congestion. I have never seen so many bus-loads and van-loads of hikers on Sunrise trails on a weekday. With the flower showings and the clear sunny weather the congested rush to Sunrise was well understood.

In two long, gentle traverses the trail from Burroughs #2 descends across treeless, delicate volcanic terrain to the saddel that joins B#2 and B#3, and in the process loses 500'of elevation. Near the saddel is a junction with the trail the descends into Glacier Basin, however the NPS sign reads Burroughs Mountain Trail and points down to Glacier Basin. This could be confusing in poor visibility. Take the right fork that winds upward toward B#3. This trail does not appear on the Green Trails map #270. This is beautiful but fragile landscape so stay on the trail and resist the urge to wander around; it will be strong. Near the summit ridge the trail seems to disappear in the jumble of rocks. Head north along the ridge crest and in 100 yards the trail to the rounded summit (elev. 7428')reappears. My wife (Hikes With Small Steps)and I made an early departure from the Sunrise parking lot on a cloudless mid-week day, and had the privlage to be on B#3 all by ourselves. Only the sounds of rock falls from mountain, the cool wind rustling our clothes, some small birds and an occasional airplane came to us. How lucky we were to be there in perfect conditions. We soak it up, just the two of us, so glad not to be forced to listen to the mindless chatter that people often bring to places like this. When the breeze quits, the quiet holds our attention. There's still a sizeable patch of snow just below the summit on the east side; interesting that it is still here in mid-September There's 360 degrees of nature's beauty before us. It's late in the season and the stunning Winthrop Glacier below shows us fine examples of everthing glaciers do. The steep wall of the Interglacier is right before us and beyond Streamboat Prow and the west side of the Emmons Glacier. To the west great views of the Russell Glacier and below is Mystic lake and the Wonderland trail. To the east are Burroughs Mtn #2 and #1 and beyond Frozen lake and way down, the White River. Opportunities exist to follow the easy ridge from B#3 south for views down into Glacier Basin Smoke from a forest fire in eastern WA gradually increased, masking our views in a yellow veil got us moving down in the afternoon -- reluctant as we were to leave this magnificent place. Starting down we took in the thin line of the trail as it winds gently into the distance through a series of smooth benches. The gray-brown volcanic soil was dotted with brilliant red patches of stunted Sorrel, individual clumps 4-6 inches in diameter and close to the ground. It looked like the ground had a case of chicken pox. The distance to B#2 and beyond back to Sunrise appeared farther than it really was, perhaps because there are no trees to use as a reference. Almost like looking across the Great Plains. This is a unique place and we are grateful for the opportunity to have experienced it! Trail Notes: Time from Sunrise to B#3: 2 1/2 hours Distance from Sunrise to B#3: approx. 4.5 miles Elevation gain from Sunrise to B#3: 2400' Elevation gain from B#3 to Sunrise : approx. 700'

We did a nice afternoon hike up to Third Burroughs Mountain. The trail is now almost completely snow free. Two small spots of snow (one of which will probably be gone within a few days) on Second Burroughs. The larger snow field on Third Burroughs is melting rapidly and a (slightly muddy) trail now leads through it. We returned via Emmons Overlook and the spot of snow mentioned in a previous trip report is now easily crossed. We spotted a large group of Mountain Goats far out on First Burroughs, and Second Burroughs is alive with lots of chipmunks! Wildflowers seem at their peak in the valley between Emmons Overlook, past Shadow Lake and back up to Sunrise. We had no problems with bugs today :)

Wow, what a stunning hike! As you hike, you face the Mountain and it gets bigger and more beautiful with every step of the way! We hiked up the trail via Sourdough Ridge and Frozen Lake at a moderate pace and reached the first Burrough after about 1 hour and the second 45 minutes later. A pretty clear trail to the third Burrough exists, though it is not marked in the maps and isn't written about in most books. Just follow the trail as it continues past the second Burrough and take a right as you dip down in the little valley. But be warned, its a good hour beyond the second burrough, or, as we estimated, 1-1.5 additional miles each way. You will be rewarded by the fine vistas at the end, gazing at a mountain almost close enough to touch. Most of the snow fields have melted. To get to the first burroughs the trail is totally dry, to get to the second there are two small and easily traversible fields, 15 feet or so wide, and not near any dangerous crevasses. To get to the thrid burrough you will have to cross a larger snow field, but again it is not dangerous or near any place you could fall off. Go slow and use good boots and a hiking stick, and you should be fine. As you come back, the trail forks to the right just as you reach the first burrough. You can, at this point, follow the right hand fork along Sunrise Rim and through Sunrise walk-in campground. But, a small and trecherous snowfield remains along a sheer rocky field. I didn't think this was a very safe crossing and would not advise people to take it. If you do, you will enjoy alpine meadows and also be followed by mosquitos and flies. Otherwise, the rest of the trail has a good breeze blowing most of the time, which keeps bug bites from being an issue.

Perfect day for a family hike. Made it to First Burroughs - wanted to get to Second Burroughs but I had already pushed my kids (ages 7, 5, and 3) to their limit. Bugs were worse in the parking lot than on the trail. No snow on the trail, saw some patches if we had pushed on. Did see a hoary marmot, though! Had a few scares the last 7/10 of a mile before First B. - loose rock caused the kids to slip. Other than that, a great trip. Took a whole pack of Bazooka gum to get my 3-year-old back to Sunrise - thank the Lord for bubble gum.