This was a gorgeous hike! It was a busy Saturday at that trailhead though. But it also has Tolmie Peak TH and a Mowich Lake which you can just walk into so it was a combo of people oding those things. Though when we got there most people were heading toward the Tolmie Peak trail. If you don't want to walk to the TH def get there early. We got there about 9:30 and had to park a mile away (making our total more around 10 miles). This trail is varied with ups and downs and total gain is around 1800 ft with the majority of that being in the last 0.8 mi to Spray Park. But man is it worth it. The views are unbelievable. Definitely take the offshoot trails to Eagle Cliff Viewpoint and Spray Falls. Apparently there were also bears at Spray Park but we missed them by about a minute. We tried to hang out for them to come back but the mosquitoes were TERRIBLE. I don't get bitten easily and I have bug bites. So if you're sensitive to bug bites...bring plenty of spray!

With three popular trails from this parking lot (Spray Park, Tolmie Lookout, Wonderland Trail), there were 302 cars at the parking lot and lined down the road for one mile on a sunny summer pandemic Saturday, plus a caravan of constant new arrivals driving up the loooooong dirt road in a thick dust cloud tunnel. Campers, hikers, backpackers, runners, kayakers, SUP boarders, swimmers, families, easily 500 people.

The dirt road to TH wasn't bad, very dusty but suitable for all vehicles. Arrived at Mowich Lk at 9am, got the last spot in the parking lot as a commercial van pulled out. There were already many overnight cars lined the dirt road for 1/4 mile.

Loop hike:  Mowich Lk -> Spray Park Trail (via Spray Falls) -> Mt Pleasant -> Knapsack Pass Trail -> Mowich Lk.  

We were inspired by another hiker's (Jeremy) trail report to try this loop. Exceeded my expectation! So the question is, clockwise or counterclockwise? If you want to save the WOW factor (view of Rainier) for the 2nd half, then clockwise.  If you want to get the unmaintained part of the trail out of the way first, then clockwise. If you prefer ascending as opposed to descending on scree, then counterclockwise. 

Seeing so many cars at the TH, we decided to hike the loop counterclockwise to get the more popular part of the trail (Spray Park via Spray Falls) out of the way early in the day. The trail through the young forest is beautiful and nicely shaded, and showcases many attractive water features (log bridges crossing creeks and cascading waterfalls). Many photo opps along the way. The switchbacks portion after the falls is steep but well maintained; take your time and you will make it to the gorgeous meadows w/o any problem. Peek-a-boo views of Rainier start to appear through the trees, such sight will motivate you to push on. Brilliant wildflowers are still blooming in the first meadow, but continue to the larger meadow with stunning views of Hessong Rock and Mt Pleasant on your left, Rainier on the right.  A narrow trail to Mt Pleasant is visible in the distance, but the junction is unmarked and can be missed easily.  I used AllTrail to locate the unmarked turnoff to Mt Pleasant.  Mt Rainier is behind you as you approach Mt Pleasant, don't forget to turnaround often to enjoy the majestic view. The ascend to Mt Pleasant was straight up with a few switchbacks. I didn't use my poles for the ascend but would definitely use them if I were coming down this narrow steep trail with lose rocks. Once at the saddle, there is a sign pointing to the left to Hessong Rock, we turned right to continue to Mt Pleasant peak. More up and up but easier than the initial ascend to the saddle.  You get a clear view of Mt Baker and Glacier Peak at the summit; unfortunately unpleasant bugs kept our lunch break short. As Rainier disappeared behind us on our descend from Mt Pleasant on the north side, a breathtaking view of Knapsack Pass and snowfield basin opened up. The snow makes gorgeous landscape pictures (more photos stops). Traversing the snowfield heading uphill at an angle was manageable (poles recommended) but micro spikes would have been nice to assure firm footing. A scree field awaits after the snowfield; try to spot the scree trail when you are still above the basin to get a good orientation. There is a visible boot trail across the snow; hard to get lost.  Hiking up the scree field is straight forward for experienced hikers; definitely take it slow if you are new to hiking.  Poles help.

At the pass, you get a great view looking back at Rainier and the basin. Now you can either summit First Mother or continue down Knapsack Pass Trail back to the starting point of the loop. Enjoy the nice view of Mowich Lake on descend.  The last mile of the trail is rough and unmaintained - many muddy spots, and creek running under your feet. If you plan to explore Fay Peak, look out for a turnoff to the left (crossing a narrow creek).  Again, we used Alltrails to find the turnoff, otherwise would have missed it.

Overall, it was a fabulous loop which offers a little bit of everything at this time of the year - Stunning Rainier view, wildflower meadows, abundant water features, snowfields, lakes/ponds, peaks, scree... If I were to do this again, I'd try hiking clockwise.  All hikers wore face coverings while passing (THANK YOU!), except one teen. 

Contrary to the outdated information on WTA, the road gate is not closed. You can drive right to the campground. The road to the Mowich campground is rough, but drivable. Not many potholes, just a lot of washboarding. It was a colder semi-overcast day so bugs were not bad, but based off of how Tolmie was the next day (warmer), I'm sure they could be bad. Wildflowers are still blooming as well.

The trail is in great condition and I recommend stopping at both the Eagle Cliffs viewpoint and Spray Park Falls. By the time we got to Spray Park, Rainier was covered by clouds, so the viewpoint and falls were the highlights of our hike. Great trail, not very busy (granted it was a cold Wednesday afternoon).

A few groups we passed said they ran into a bear in the upper meadows, but we didn't come across it. Be on the lookout!

Also, just to note, despite there not being a manned entrance station at this part of the park, make sure to bring or buy a National Park pass! We passed a ranger ticketing quite a few cars.

My son and I started at 6:30am and drove slowly through the never ending dirt road, reached there around 8:30am and hiked from the Mowich campgrounds. Trail is past the privy on the right-side to Spray park and is marked in places.  Trail wasn't crowded as it was a Monday. Don't miss the lookout at Eagle cliff as it has one of the best views of the mountain there. Spray falls was spraying and beautiful.

We weren't intending to go past the spray falls but we did and the meadow was beautiful. The only downside is that the bugs were terrible in spite of the bug spray! Trail was a bit muddy in places and have to pass a few rocks with water falls but overall not too difficult. Trail has a mix of ups and downs making it pleasant to walk on. 

We ended up with a flat once we reached Buckley (two nails) and were driving a minivan so please consider a high clearance vehicle. The road has been improved since the last year but it is a long haul. Please improve the access to this beautiful area.