Beautiful day to hike the Naches Peak Loop.  So nice, in fact, that we altered our plans and took the trail down to Dewey Lakes, as well.  I have been around this loop once before, but my daughter-in-law had not.  Neither of us had been to the lakes before.

We arrived at the Tipsoo Lake trailhead about 10:30 AM and it was about a third full.  The restrooms were open and fine, although a bit dim (perhaps a flashlight or phone light would be helpful).  We went clockwise, taking the trail to the left of the lake that climbs to the upper crossing/bridge.  While there were people on the trail, it wasn't too crowded.

The trail on the northeast side of the mountain passed through meadows and past a tarn with nice views across the valley to the highway on the other side.  We could pick out the Sheep Lake trail on the far hillside.  Fall is starting and there are patches of turning leaves alongside the trail.  Mountain ash bushes and false hellebores are turning yellow while the blueberry plants are going red and purple. 

Our original plan was to do the loop, but when we got to the turnoff for the trail down to Dewey Lakes they looked so enticing that we decided to give it a whirl, and were glad we did.  The lakes were nice and peaceful, with few people around.  We ate our lunch alongside the big lake, ignoring the camp robber jays, and then headed back up.   On the way up we stopped to watch a grouse family nearby.  

Back up on the main trail we continued the loop until we reached our first sighting of Mt Rainier.  Clouds were obscuring parts of the mountain, but I found the effect to be dramatic.  From that point forward Rainier was almost always in view in front of us.  We passed a tarn and continued on to the high point and then down, back to Tipsoo Lake. 

According to GPS and including a bit of exploring around the lakes we went 7.5 miles with 1450 feet of gain. 

This was our first trip to Dewey Lake and it won't be our last!  It was an easy 2plus hour drive from Seattle- all paved and an easy under two hour hike to Dewey Lake.  No bugs. No snow.  Sun on the way in and fog on the way out.  We chose to do the clockwise route, so finished up the following day coming out onto hwy 410 at Tipsoo Lake which was HEAVY fog-we thought it was gorgeous and magical!  (We heard to be careful about the drinking the lake waters in the area since there was an outbreak of norovirus recently.  Just follow Ranger's suggestions to avoid).  We saw lots of elk prints and scat and heard them bellowing all night long.  If someone hadn't told us what they sounded like, we would have spent a lot of time wondering what we were hearing.  It is a loud high pitched call.  They must have been pretty close to our campsite. We were the first overnighters to the Lake so had our choice of spots.  By dusk, we think there were three other parties spread about the lake.  The fall colors are not peak, but they are very much on their way with some spots of large blueberries left.  We heard that someone spotted a bear on Wednesday, but we saw no signs of one. Because of the fog, we did not see Mt. Rainier, but imagine that if it was more clear, there are great views  coming from Dewey Lake to Tipsoo Lake.

I arrived at the parking lot at 0730 with only two other cars. I started the loop counter-clockwise. I hiked down to the Dewey Lake at the junction. There were a couple of people camping at the lake. However, since there is so much lake shore, it was easy to find a spot all to myself to have a snack. I returned to the parking lot in under 3 hours round-trip. 

I actually hiked the Naches Peak Loop twice this past weekend, each a very different experience. The first time was Friday, Sept. 16 heading to a conference near Randle. Cloud cover was so thick newcomers wouldn't believe there's a giant mountain nearby. I passed a few other hikers, but had long stretches of alone time. There's a certain beauty on cloudy days - the colors are more vibrant, the mushrooms more eager to poke their heads up and say hello. I added the extra leg to Dewey Lake, where it was peacefully foggy. The entire trail is in great shape - PCTA volunteers were working on the PCT, and it appears that others are working on the Naches Peak trail. On Sunday, heading back home, I stopped there again since the sky was more clear and I knew I could make the loop pretty quickly and say hello to Mt. Rainier. The parking lot was very crowded, but I still managed to find a spot, as it's a big one. Cars were also parked along HWY 410. Although I prefer more isolated trails, I was charmed by all the families with young kids - some of them with three generations represented - and the ethnic diversity one never sees on the weekdays deeper into the Cascades. I loped around the loop with a smile on my face and a little gasp whenever I turned another corner and saw the giant snow-covered mountain. Although the berry bushes looked pretty spent, and they're just starting to turn red, there were a few folks waste-deep in the bushes still finding some treats. I definitely recommend going clockwise on the trail, it allows the longest and best views of the mountain without having to constantly turn around. Although it was smokey going through Packwood heading north, I didn't notice any smoke at Naches Peak.

Such a pretty day to drop down to Dewey. Hiked around the parameter of the lake, too. If you want to avoid the crowds on the Naches  Loop hike on a sunny, breezy weekend, it’s a wonderful alternate route and with views of Rainer, too. Just veer left at the sign about 1/2 mark and if you started the trail clockwise. Huckleberries were everywhere along the shores and especially at the main campsite area when you first come upon the lake. Fun meeting and greeting so many through hikers out there today. Good luck and enjoy Washington!