Arrived at the parking lot at 1 pm on a Wed and still plenty of space. Trailhead is located a short walk past the parking lot thru the campground loop.

We hiked to Glacier Basin and were alone at the top. Also did the 1 mile RT Emmons Moraine side trail - this is well worth it! Gorgeous views of the mountain & rivet, tons of wildflowers, overall a spectacular trail. Even though reservations to Mt Rainier NP were sold out, trail wasn’t at all crowded. Skip the visitor center and hike this trail!

A few bugs but not too bad - only noticed them when we stopped ( we were wearing big spray)

Hiked to Glacier Basin Camp, crossed the Inter Fork, and followed a climber's trail up to the ridge and to Mt Ruth. Continued along the ridge past Camp Curtis to Steamboat Prow. Backtracked and descended the Inter Glacier back to the Glacier Basin Trail.

Road Conditions. Paved road and parking lot, restrooms with running water.

Trail Conditions. No issues with the Glacier Basin Trail up to Glacier Basin Camp, double-wide and smooth. Didn't take me long to find a spot where I could step across the Inter Fork (3 channels) without any acrobatics. Picked up a well-established climber's trail on the other side after a short bushwhack. Almost lost the trail just before it starts zig-zagging up to the top of the ridge, just had to step across a small stream. Steep with loose dirt and rocks, doesn't look like fun to descend... The trail remained easy to follow right up to the base of Mt Ruth, where there were a few patches of (soft) snow and multiple options... Didn't bother with traction here, followed the path of least resistance to the summit of Mt Ruth, approaching the short summit scramble (class 2) from the west. Continuing along the ridge, there was one brief section that had to be downclimbed and that required a class 3 move (good grips, but in a no-fall zone). Once at Camp Curtis, the climber's trail up to Steamboat Prow was easy enough to follow, just keep going up... Before heading down, I talked to several parties who had come up the Inter Glacier, and none reported any issues with crevasses. Glissading looked tempting, but instead I put on crampons and cautiously plunge-stepped all the way down to the Glacier Basin Trail. The Glacier Basin Trail past Glacier Basin Camp was pretty but not quite as smooth as it is once you get to Glacier Basin Camp.

Highlights. Close-up views of glaciers, and plentiful wildflowers and marmots.

Crowds. No queue when I reached the Sunrise entrance station one minute to seven. But all trailhead parking lots I passed were already full, including the one at White River Campground. Camps all looked busy. Didn't encounter anyone after crossing the White River until Camp Curtis. Slow trickle of parties heading up or down the Inter Glacier.

From the White River campground the trail is mostly through forest but with some great breakout points along the way with views of Mount Rainier, Little Tahoma, the White River and the Emmons Moraine. The trail is in very good condition with mostly soft tread. There were a few places when we were coming back down where there was some slippage on loose gravel. The trail is a steady gain all the way to the basin.

Along with the views along the trail there were numerous streams to cross on footbridges, over culverts or running across the path but no problem keeping our boots dry. The streams were usually had accompanying small waterfalls and were good place to catch a cool breeze.

The wildflowers were abundant: phlox, paintbrush, both red and yellow monkeyflower, false hellebore, queen's cup, glacier lily, wild strawberry, stonecrop, cow parsnip, penstemon and glacier lilies.

Once at the basin, the landscape opens up. Except for the trees in the campground, the view is nearly 360 degrees. We had our lunch there and then wandered around the area for photos. There lots of climbing parties camped there and we watched climbers going up to and returning from the mountain. It seemed like the climbers outnumbered the hikers. Overall, on our hike the trail was not heavily traveled.

On our return trip we went a little ways on the Emmons Glacier Trail up to the ridge of the moraine for views of the glacier and the unnamed emerald green lake. The only sketchy part of the hike was coming down loose gravel and powdery dirt on the moraine above the footbridge over the Inter Fork. There were also a couple rocks that jutted out from the side of the trail that required some well- placed feet and balance.

We had three different tracking methods and all of them recorded more distance than various maps and GPS indicated, mostly between 7 to a bit over 8 miles.

Trailhead to Glacier Basin: Some flowers blooming. At 1.5 miles, hikers ahead of us reported seeing a large sow and 2 cubs on the trail and that the sow was posturing some. . A bit earlier, hikers had reported seeing one cub scamper up a tree.  We decided the mama bear had arleady had enough agitation for the day and we weren't going to add to it, so we turned around.

Emmons Morraine Trail: Haven't hiked this in ages. The steep trail up the slope after the bridge is so much better than it was 15 years ago! Enjoyed views of the lake on the morraine, the toe of the glacier, and up the Emmons, Glacier. Got bit a few times while stopped for lunch.

I think this is an underrated hike. On a clear day you get in-your-face views of a glacier, a river, wildflowers, and the mountain.

I got a timed entry permit and only waited behind 3 other cars at the White River entrance. The climber's lot near the end of the campground has space for around 40 cars if I had to guess.

I started off by going up to the Glacier Basin camp. The first half lulls you a bit as it's a gentle grade. There were definitely some sections near the end that seemed steep. Along the way you'll hear the river and several small streams. The wildflowers were quite lovely too. I only had to step on a handful of snow banks and it was hard packed.

It's definitely worth hopping over to the Emmons Moraine trail on the way back (or there if you choose). The lake is a beautiful color and the Emmons glacier is magnificent.

Mosquitos are out but that was to be expected. A little wind helped keep them away for the most part.