We had planned to hike closer to the trails at Sunrise but the road to Sunrise is now closed for the season just past the turn off for the white river campground. 
The bathrooms just inside the gate are open with flush toilets and TP. 
Trailhead easy to get to, far end of the campground. Path is in great shape, steady uphill.  Clear morning with great views of The Mountain along the way. Had lunch just past Glacier Basin campground along the river. Some fall color, no goats or bears but I did see a Cascade frog, several chipmunks and small squirrels. As the afternoon progressed, smoke rolled in obscuring views. 
Thanks for leaving no trace and keeping Rainier beautiful. 🍂

Mount Ruth doesn't seem to get much respect as a destination, only someplace people pass on the way to Steamboat Prow or higher. Well, I don't have the legs for Steamboat, and Mount Ruth is spectacular enough to keep me smiling for weeks.

Overview: started from White River at 6:50 and needed 4 hours moving plus 20 minutes of breaks to reach Ruth summit. After a leisurely 1.5 hrs for lunch and sightseeing, 3 hours to return, finishing at 15:45. Per GaiaGPS, 10.2 miles, 4340 ft climb. The entire route was snow-free. I carried 4 liters of water and drank most of it. I was very glad to have poles.

Glacier Basin Trail: well documented in many other reports; popular, pretty, very well maintained, with steady, moderate slope. The only problem is how long it seems on the return trip.

River Crossing: Right after the "end of maintained trail" sign there's an obvious path down to the river, but the choice of route across the multiple strands of river is open. We spent a few minutes to find a safe and dry route across, but then couldn't see the trail on the other side. I used Gaia GPS to get back on track. On the return trip, the river flow was noticeably higher and required a little more care in crossing.

Ascending the ridge: Once on the trail up to the ridge, the average climb rate is about 3 times that of the Glacier Basin trail—roughly 1400 ft/mi. The trail is mostly well-defined, but often steep enough to require care about traction and foot placement. In that respect, coming down was much harder than going up.

On the ridge: Once gaining the ridge line, at about 6800 feet, the slope briefly moderates, even flattens out briefly, and we took some time to admire the views in every direction. Up ahead you see the summit of Rainier and Mount Ruth just to its right (the view of Steamboat Prow is blocked by Ruth at that point). And Glacier Basin, of course. To the left, Emmons Glacier and Little Tahoma; a little farther Summerland, Panhandle Gap, etc., etc.

Following the ridge line: Initially the trail is easy to follow. The slope gradually—relentlessly—increases.

The rock zone: After about 7600 feet we started having trouble following the trail, since it's basically weaving through a rock field. Maybe the trail isn't so important at that point, but I didn't want to end up in a blind alley, and used Gaia GPS a few times to get back on track. This is also when we were passed by two hikers who were moving considerably faster, bound for Steamboat Prow (see what I meant in my intro?). They, and one other solo hiker who was already ahead of us, were the only people we saw past Glacier Basin Camp.

The Summit: The final stretch up to the Ruth summit was the only bit of scrambling needed, and it's not difficult. But there are some quite dramatic cliffs and drop-offs up there, especially on the eastern side. But also plenty of flat space for rest, lunch, and sight-seeing.

Having been obsessed with the Sunrise area for a few years, I loved being able to see almost everyplace I had hiked. Third Burroughs was previously the highest I'd been, and now we saw it from 800 feet higher. As well, Rainier looms a lot closer. While we ate, there was a sustained rockfall on Rainier that we heard but didn't see. But we could see the dust it generated, carried rapidly up by a rising wind and forming a small lenticular cloud!

Return: The hardest part is the middle of the descent from the ridge line to Glacier Basin. Lots of loose, silty soil and mixed rocks. I managed to keep my butt off the ground but came close a few times, and was very glad to have poles. And as mentioned above, the river can be expected to get a little higher and faster at the end of a sunny day.

We arrived at the White River campground day use parking at 10 am - lots of parking spaces available.     The campground is still open, so the restrooms by the parking area are open as well.

The cool weather and shade along the Glacier Basin path make it a comfortable hike.    We stopped many times along the way to look at the waterfalls, few wildflowers still blooming, views of the mountain, rusted mining equipment, marmots, and a ptarmigan.

My 3 night trip was cut to 2 nights after I woke this morning to ash on my tent and a headache from the smoke. I passed a few brave souls venturing up while I came down, but when I went to the WIC to release my 3rd night campsite the ranger said she was seeing tons of others doing the same. 

Tuesday to the basin was totally clear, no air quality issues. My left calf muscle seized pretty badly but I made it - that last .7 was brutal! I sadly didn’t see the bear rumored to be about the campsite. A ranger had advised me to get water about a quarter mile beyond the campsite (go past the tiny metal pipe spurting water to the next decent sized stream) as the white river was even more full of silt than usual. Saw a marmot and many frogs and had a lovely night with no rain fly under the stars. 

The next morning my leg was still sore but I decided to day hike to Burroughs. A very kind man at the next campsite gave me his lighter when my stove’s igniter stopped working at breakfast and I was and am eternally grateful for this kindness!! Began the hike to Burroughs grateful I didn’t have a full pack (my second night was also at the Basin so I left my camp site set up) but did fill both my drinking bladder and my filter full, happy to take the extra weight on the notoriously dry Burroughs trail (there is one small stream along the way up but I cannot emphasize enough how much you need to plan your water on this hike!) this trail, though steep, was truly one of the most beautiful hikes I’ve ever been on. Had a snack and a break on a rock in a meadow before the second half of the climb. Had to break out my inhaler a few times as the heat, climb, and smoke all started to get to me. 

I almost gave up at the Burroughs intersection but decided to try thanks to the kind encouragement of a few fellow solo ladies. I did make it to the top of third Burroughs! The fire was looking VERY ominous and little Tahoma was already hidden by the haze, but the view was well worth the climb. 
Going back down was honestly harder than going up, the trail down to glacier basin is loose scree and I lost my footing several times. Go slow and watch your footing! 

re-doing the .7 back up to the basin camp was just as punishing but I took the chance to refill my water on the way up, saving me the hike out to filter before dinner. At this point the fire-spawned clouds began to rumble quite alarmingly and the air smelled strongly of smoke. In the morning I woke with my leg feeling great, my air mattress leaking, and my camp shoes broken, along with the aforementioned blanket of ash on my tent, so I decided to skip my planned trip to palisades (I am still pretty heartbroken about this but it was the right call for my lungs.) 

Did a quick overnight camp at Glacier Basin, with an ambition to ascend to Steamboat Prow as a day hike, inspired by this trip report:

Steamboat Prow, Mount Ruth, Glacier Basin & Emmons Moraine — Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025

I write this report from and for the perspective of a fairly experienced trail hiker looking to experiment with negotiating some climbers' tracks.

Alas, we didn't make it quite as far the Prow, topping out at just around 8000 ft, a few hundred feet below the climber's track around Mt. Ruth. However, the views of the Emmons Glacier and Little Tahoma up close and personal, as well as the sights and sounds of crackling ice, rockfall, and meltwater gushing into the White River were more than satisfactory as consolation prizes.

The trail up to Glacier Basin is well-trod and popular, if a bit steep on its last 1/2 mile -- it's the beginning of an "easy" route to summiting Rainier, as well as having a history of acting as a road to a defunct copper mining claim.

To get to the climber's track to achieve the ridgeline heading to Ruth, exit the Glacier Basin camp towards Inter Glacier and hang a left just after the "Trail Unmaintained Beyond This Point" sign towards Inter Fork. You'll see a cairn below marking a great spot to scout your crossing route, as well as soak your feet after you come back down.

Negotiate as safe a rock-hop route as you can across the Inter Fork's three channels towards an obvious bootpath, and begin the ascent after passing abandoned mining equipment on your left. There's a much clearer stream (vs. filling from the glacial flour-filled Inter Fork) to filter water from just past this point.

The next half mile or so is very steep, with extremely loose volcanic rock, sand, and lightly packed pebbles covering the route that snakes up through and past the tree line. It's certainly tiring going up, but much more dangerous coming down. Trekking poles and concentration are necessities. The track becomes slightly gentler as you climb higher towards the ridge, but still demands careful, deliberate steps.

After achieving the ridgeline, Little Tahoma and the Emmons Glacier rush into view. The path farther up is obvious here, and much more tame. Take your time and absorb all the sounds and sights, enjoying the light reflecting off the numerous crevasses and cracks in the ice.

We stopped just short of the three small snowfields still remaining under Mt. Ruth and headed back to camp, citing fatigue from trekking over choss and scree, diminishing daylight, and a potential for rain rolling in -- which fortunately did not materialize. For further ascent guidance, refer to the earlier mentioned trip report above as well as topographic maps like CalTopo or GaiaGPS.

Before departing Glacier Basin the next day, we did a quick morning hike up to Sherpa Rock, an excellent and rewarding viewpoint with just 1000 ft of ascent, to view the Inter Glacier (or what is left of it) and gaze down into the basin itself. As we headed back to the trailhead at the White River Campground, we did a quick look into the Emmons Moraine spur trail, but after seeing the glacier from above and up close, it was fairly underwhelming. Perhaps it's wiser to check out this diversion before trying the same ascent.