As is always the case, the dirt road is dusty and a long 11 miles or so at 20-25 miles and hour. And yes the car will get very dirty, but the payoff is more than worth the effort. We showed up at the trailhead at 7:10am and were in the trail by 7:20. The Asprire adventure running team were in camp having breakfast before setting out for their 30+ mile jaunt for the day (they were doing the entire Wonderland in 3 days! Luckily they were heading out the other direction!

We took a more civilized pace and enjoyed the entire trail to ourselves. If you have never been, definitely take the short out ands back side trip to the falls. The water volume must be at about its peak now...incredible power! The trail was in great shape. Just a little muddy at the top and a few small snow fields between the lower meadows up toward Cataract Valley Campsite. All passable without spikes. 

The wild flowers were out in full bloom and were were fortunate to see three different goat families (two babies!). We also got a chance to see a mama black bear with two cubs in the lower meadow on our way back down...luckily very socially distant! Lots of hikers as we made our way back down, but most had masks and made good faith efforts to turn away etc. 

This road. Sigh. 15 miles of gravel that feels like it may never end. But it does. And for what it's worth, there is some improvement in the grade from last year. It's a busy area with trailheads and campgrounds. Expect lots of cars. Two toilets, bring your own sanitizer.

Crazy bear ! This cub was flirting with trouble. I lead with this photo as a reminder to always be aware of your surroundings and watch those kids ! Keeping food in sealed containers helps. These little guys are way too socialized. I was using a zoom lens but many were much closer. Be safe out there.

SPRAY PARK is an iconic Mount Rainier view. The trail, though muddy in spots, is in good condition and snow-free to the first meadow, after the last bridge. The flowers are gorgeous. There is snow to cross heading to Seattle Park and beyond although it was done without microspikes. (I was happy for a pole).

We guessed about 60% were compliant with masks or face coverings. Mostly everyone was good at stepping aside and creating some space in the narrower parts of trail. Thanks for your thoughtfulness !

Lots of photos on my blog linked below: https://insearchofthevery.com/2020/07/31/attentiveness-matters/

My girlfriend and I hiked on Tuesday, July 28th. and the trip totalled 18 miles over 10.5 hours with spray falls and a small detour on a trail heading south from the highest point. Perfectly clear day and this trail really highlighted all of the beauty of Mt. Rainier and it's ecosystem.

Arrived at Mowich lake by 7:30am, plenty of spots left. There are trash cans and restrooms that are open. We hiked clockwise to save the views of Mt. Rainier for last. Also had the benefit of the snow softening up. Microspikes were not needed, but there is a lot of snow heading up from Seattle Park to Spray Park. I wouldn't do it without poles. The trail was mostly covered in this section for several miles, but there were cairns in place and other peoples' boot tracks were reliable. I don't expect the snow to be completely gone for several more weeks, but it was beautiful with the snow! Only passed a handful of people in the first half, a bit more near Spray Park but no more than a couple dozen all day. Everyone had masks and were courteous.

There was some snow on the trail near Mowich lake, but it went away within a half a mile. The view from ipsut pass was beautiful in the morning. Heading down the pass, we saw a LOT of fresh (and some dry) bear scat on the trail. This section of the trail descends a thousand feet or so in a mile, and it's very tight with tall greenery rubbing on both sides in places. Virtually nowhere to go but the trail and you can't see very far in advance. Not where I'd want to be caught with a bear, but thankfully we didn't see one (yet).

Descending to the Carbon river we saw many small waterfalls and crossed many streams that had nice log bridges with a handrail, there were surely over a dozen of these along the trail! The Carbon river was flowing fast. Had to cross it once on one of the log bridges which was neat, but definitely would not have wanted to slip and fall in. From here, the trail isn't quite as clear, but you can follow cairns NE across the river bed. The trail switchbacks up a couple times before getting to the fork of the Northern Loop trail, we were worried for a while we missed the turn for the wonderland trail and was switchbacking up a different trail!

We crossed paths with a couple that warned about a bear ahead, they didn't see it, but someone else told them about it. Within a half a mile of the suspension bridge we ran into the bear, a mama and two very small cubs. They were probably 15 yards away off the trail about 10 o'clock, moving in my direction. I got out the bear spray, started making some noise and talking, and it continued to move towards the trail. It surely knew we were there, but didn't seem to acknowledge us, or care. So we calmly continued up the trail passing the bears and it proceeded on North. The bear was probably within 15 feet at the closest point, much closer than I'd like to be with a mom and cubs :)

The suspension bridge was really neat, pretty wobbly! The hike heads straight up at this point, not much excitement for a while, but the legs start to get tired. With the exception of a mile at ipsut pass, everything had been pretty well shaded. Things open up at Seattle Park and it's exposed for the next several miles. Beautiful flowers, streams, birds, and greenery here. Also, a fair share of mosquitos here and near most streams.

Once we get up high enough, we start to get beautiful views of mother mountain, and other peaks/ranges in the distance. The snow also becomes a factor at this point, but like I mentioned above, it's easy enough to follow other people's tracks and cairns (at least since it was clear). It's relatively steep in some places, and with the soft snow there was some "one step forward half step backward" going on, but overall it was okay. This was the most tiring section. Some snow fields stretched for over a couple hundred feet before the trail was exposed again for a short stint.

From the highest point on Spray Park trail, we saw another trail that was cleared going south uphill towards Mt. Rainier. We went up and sat on a rock and had a second lunch while looking at a beautifully clear Mt. Rainier. We had the whole mountain to ourselves! From that point I had 13.5 miles on my watch, and thought it was 3 miles back from there. (Spoiler, it ended up being another 4.5 miles. We weren't happy when we hit the 2 miles left to Mowich lake sign).

The walk downhill was much easier in the snow, it was slushy, a bit slick, but it made for fun sliding on your feet. Spray falls was beautiful. You have to walk on the rocks upstream a bit to get a full view of the falls, and you'll get a bit sprayed ;) Eagle cliff viewpoint also had a beautiful view of the mountain, worth the short trip down even when you're exhausted. 

It was a relief once we finally got back to the lake after 18 miles. It was a long day, but a beautiful journey, seeing just about everything the mountain could show us :) Highly recommend if you have the stamina!

Mowich Road is back and in good shape!  Earlier reports before the full road was opened said it was really rough, but they filled the holes and graded it, today was a very easy drive hitting 30mph in parts.  Enjoy while it lasts!

(To clarify for newbies to this road, when I say it's in "good shape" this is compared to last couple of years I have been.  It's 16 miles of rough gravel, still with some potholes and washboarding in parts especially up near the lake).

Arrived about 9:45am on a sunny Tuesday, the main parking area was pretty full by then, but lots of parking on the side of the road just be prepared to have a dirty car by the time you get back.

Please drive slow down the road by the lake, some people were going quite fast and it kicks up a lot of dirt on cars and people.

Hiked up to the lookout, trail in good shape, some big muddy spots and snow up along Eunice Lake, but easy to cross (no spikes needed) and otherwise snow free all the way up.  Beautiful views of Rainier, also Olympics, St Helens, Glacier, Baker all visible today.

Then back down and had time to wander the Spray Park trail up to the Eagle Cliff lookout and Spray Falls which was raging.  Didn't go all the way up to Spray Park today just the falls and back.

Mostly good masking up and yielding especially on the narrow trails to Tolmie, it was ok with the trail not so busy but probably more difficult on busier days.  A few noisy groups and some kids hiking with music though I will credit they were hiking fast so it was easy to lose them.

Wildlowers are out with some impressive Bear Grass.  Bugs were not too bad but making their presence known, and some big ones hanging around.  I sprayed before hiking.

No sign of bears but saw some scat on the trail around Ipsut Pass, other reports indicate they are active in the area, so be bear aware.

What's not bear aware... someone had a big dog on the Spray Park trail... I'm sure not WTA members but a reminder that dogs are only allowed around the lakeside picnic area, and not on trails in the park (except the PCT).  It's a long way to drive and not walk a dog.

Kudos to the toilets at Paul Peak they were very clean.  Toilets at Mowich were clearly more traveled, but tolerable - much better than the horror show at Mt Si/Mt Teneriffe.

Bring some cash if you don't have a park pass, pay $30 fee at Paul Peak.

I'll just tease some pics of the trails rather than spoil the views.

This is a trip report for a combination of the Mother Mountain Loop and Northern Loop in Mount Rainier National Park.  I combined the two routes in a figure-eight pattern, starting at Mowich Lake, up to Spray Park, down Seattle Park to the Wonderland and then joining the Northern Loop off the Wonderland, climbing to Windy Gap, on to Grand Park, Berkeley Park then re-joining the Wonderland from that area back to Mowich Lake.  Route totals were 43 miles with just over 13,000’ of cumulative gain.   This route gives the trail traveler a fantastic sampling of the park without the time commitment one would need for the entire Wonderland.  Highly recommended for either a very stout day for the efficient trail mover or as a multi-day backpack as it has plenty of campsites along the way.

As I recently posted a trip report for the Northern Loop, I won’t go in to many details on that portion unless there was a significant change since my last report.

First off, road to Mowich which usually is pretty rough was in the best shape I have ever experienced. Minimal potholes and washboard.  Any car should be able to easily get up to the road.  I didn’t know it was even open until a friend clued me in and the website says it’s still closed as of my writing this.  However, based on the 20 or so cars up there when I pulled in, it felt like it’s probably been open for a while.   Hit the trail at 5:45 to 42 degree temps.  Was glad it was chilly as it got me moving!   Even that early in the morning, I crossed paths with several backpackers on the way to Spray Park.  Some small patches of snow as you enter the park and as you climb up, larger patches of snow cover the trail but not so much that you lose sight of the trail.  

I did gamble on this one and left the spikes at home.  I may seem obsessive about weight but when you travel that many miles in a day, every ounce counts.  I knew Spray Park would be my only questionable spot, specifically dropping down into Seattle Park and I hoped by the time I got there, the morning sun would have warmed up the snowfields a bit.  But as I climbed through Spray Park, I noticed a sheen of ice on the puddles and the snowfields were rock hard.  Like, jabbing them with a trekking pole and not making any marks hard.  This could be “interesting”!

The snow wasn’t a problem climbing to the high point of the park as most of the snowfields were mellow.  But as I approached the point where I dropped down into Seattle Park, my trepidation grew a little.  Fortunately, there was just enough old bootprints that I was able to use them to get enough traction to descent the snowfields.  Tedious but it worked.  For the most part, the runout is fine but there is one particular traverse that was a bit spicy.  If it had been later in the day, this wouldn’t have been even an afterthought given the snow would have been soft. 

Once down in Seattle Park, there are some snow patches but nothing major.  I gave a sigh of relief and went into cruise mode from there.  Lots of wildflowers in Seattle Park, plenty of water sources and the trail is in good shape.  I had forgotten how technical the upper portions were before giving way to smoother buffed out trail below the trees.  A short overgrown section to deal with as well.

Crossed the suspension bridge to the Wonderland, turned left and made my way to the Northern Loop.  Nothing major to note here other than lots of water sources which is good as there are no water sources on the climb to Windy Gap until near the very top.  Windy Gap has melted out considerably since my last visit and Monday will probably take care of the rest of it ( 94 degrees!!).

The descent to the North Fork of the White River has some blowdowns to work around.  Only major water source is near the Lake James campsite.  Bridges remain up over the river, just follow the cairns and footprints in the sand.  Climb to Grand Park has nothing major to note, no water sources though until Berkeley Park.

The stretch between Grand Park and Berkeley was busy but most folks were in good spirits and showed good trail etiquette. I did hear a weird buzzing sound that I couldn’t figure out what was causing it.  Then I looked up and saw a drone.  Thousands of miles and hours on the trail and this was my first drone sighting.  I looked around to see if I could find the operator to let them know that drones weren’t allowed in the park in case they didn’t know this but I couldn’t find them.  Not a huge nuisance, just sounded like a giant mosquito.  Speaking of, bugs didn’t bother me on this trip at all.  I know they are out there but I guess they just don’t like me much.   

Plenty of water in Berkeley to draw from and the wildflowers are showing well.  Then it was back on the Wonderland for the rest of the trip.  Some snow at Skyscraper Pass but everyone I saw navigated it without traction as the snow was soft.  Cruised down past Granite Creek Campground, good water source there and then down towards the snout of the Winthrop Glacier.  Was able to experience firsthand the glacier calving (for lack of a better word) right above where the river comes out of it and marveled at the power.  This quickly turned to concern as the giant chunks of ice and rock plunged into the river causing some pretty drastic flow issues.  Immediately, my attention was focused on getting to the bridge and ensuring it was still up.  Fortunately, it was though the river was almost touching the bottom of the bridge. A good reminder that on any day, the mountain can wreak havoc!

Then it was the mellow climb up to Mystic Lake.  Snow has melted out through here. Flowers continue to be plentiful in the meadows around the lake and above it.  The area below Moraine Park is now melted out with only small (less than ten yards) patches here and there.  Lots of water sources throughout this area.  Crossing Dick Creek is aided by a couple of small logs.  One small rockslide to deal with near the suspension bridge.

Carbon River was roaring from the late afternoon heat but the bridge is solid.  Then it was an easy cruise to Ipsut Creek and the beginning of the last climb of the day.  Usually I am not a huge fan of this section of the Wonderland but on this evening, the sun was hitting it just right that everything was glowing gold and green and it was absolutely sublime.  It might also have something to do with a solid days worth of endorphins pumping through my system! The first two miles went quickly and then it was the brute switchbacks to make the final climb to the pass.

Some very overgrown sections on the swithbacks but the pretty flowers help take your mind off the burning quads. Also, I have never seen so much bear scat on a trail and I thought, “Maybe I will finally get my first bear sighting of the year!”.  About halfway up as I rounded a switchback, I saw an odd sand colored rock nestled among the overgrowth.  It was odd as I didn’t remember one being up there.  I took a few more steps and the rock moved.  I instantly thought someone had brought their dog into the park and continued ascending wondering where the owner might be.
Then the “dog” stopped and looked up and it wasn’t a dog but a bear.  It had a black face in all that sand colored fur and oddly resembled one of those lemur things in Madagascar.  We both just stared at each other for a second, then I went to reach for my camera as I had to get a shot of this unique colored bear.  But at that point it did the typical bear, “I’m outta here!” move and was gone.  What a treat though!  It was small and I figure it just hasn’t shifted to more normal colored fur yet.

Anyway, what a fun little ending to my day!  Well, not quite, I still had to get up the last 500’ to the pass and then back to the lake. 

I have to point out here, if Bluetooth speakers, poor trail etiquette and crowds bother you, you probably want to skip a weekend jaunt to the Tolmie lookout.  What a drastic difference to the rest of the trip!  I weaved my way through the trail traffic as best as I could and was quickly back at my car at Mowich which felt a bit like party central.  Good to see so many out enjoying the lake in the beautiful weather but my mind wasn’t quite ready to flip from the solitude I had on the earlier stretches of the trail.

A very stout day but well worth all the effort.  I’ve given the park a lot of attention this month but now it's time to turn elsewhere as we wind down towards the August hike-a-thon!