hello fellow hikers!

Wanting to do this hike before its closed for the summer, my boyfriend & i set out to see Rainier at sunset. We had the top to ourselves for about 20 minutes. Before a group of ladies came up, celebrating one of the hiker's last radiation treatment. It was really powerful and moving watching them celebrate her accomplish, her health, and the power of friendship. At one point, one of the hikers said "Life is so beautiful, isn't it".  Having views of Mt Rainier, Adams, Hood, and Helens, I'd say yes, yes it is <3

Trail: I picked up a quart size Ziploc bag of trash and TP on the trail (gross). I think this hike attracts a lot of people with minimal hiking experience and maybe an underdeveloped respect for the outdoors. So please pack out your trash, friends :')

Wildflowers: There were some Indian paint brushes and lupines blooming alongside the trail on the way up. 

Parking: We arrived around 4 pm on a Monday night and there was plenty of parking. Also, WTA's site says there are no bathrooms at the trailheads, so plan ahead! 

Road: The forest road is in bad she. We had a Toyota Tacoma, which had no problems. There was an array of cars at the trailhead. Smaller, lower cars will just need more time to get through the mess of potholes.

Bugs: Bugs were bad in the forested section of the trail, but not bad at the top!  

Final Stats: 3.9 miles, 1335 ft of elevation gain, 3.5 hours, including our break at the top

happy hiking!

-Lauren is Exploring

IG: @laurenisexploring_

Road - full of potholes that mandated slow driving, even in my SUV

5:45 pm arrived. 8 cars in parking lot, still space for other cars. 

gorgeous buffed out trail. Not crowded. Flies and gnats. No mosquitos reported by our group. 

Rock face scramble at top. Slow going, but very doable. 

Overlooks have sheer drop down. Would have been VERY nervous to hike with young children. 

Only three other hikers at the top. Breathtaking views - saw Mount Rainier, Mount Adams, Mount Hood, and Mount St. Helen’s. No bugs at the top. 

Easy cruise down hill. Wildflowers to be enjoyed!

8:45 pm departure. About 20 cars in the lot, as hikers were catching sunset. 

We headed to High Rock Lookout for a sunrise hike and great views of Rainier. The hike absolutely delivered, the views were stunning! The weather was clear for sunrise so we saw Adams and Helens in the distance!

The road is passable with sections of pot holes, easy to get through if you go slow (we did not have a high clearance car). The hike itself can be steep for a few chunks but not hard for the average hiker. We reached the platform in 1 hour.

Due to the popularity of this hike, it was pretty busy. The parking lot was full at 4AM. The platform was crowded especially because someone had camped on the platform and left their tent up to take up most of the space. Lots of inconsiderate hikers with speakers blasting and near constant barrage of yelling.

Would recommend this hike if you’re looking for a smaller time commitment rewarded with spectacular views. May want to avoid busy times like sunrise.

A beautiful sunrise hike to High Rock Lookout is always so rewarding! We left Seattle at 1:15am and got to the trailhead by 330am. The last few miles to the trailhead has several potholes so drive slow. The trail is well maintained.  We needed headlights for about an hour and then it was bright enough to see the trail. We got to the summit a little before sunrise and enjoyed seeing all the peaks from this summit. My strava stats was 3.5 miles, a little over 1300 ft elevation gain. We spent a lot of time at the summit soaking in the views. We were back home by 930am.

I hiked High Rock on June 12th. Left Seattle at 12:00 AM and arrived at the trailhead around 2:35 AM. The road up is in rough shape—worse than I remember from past years. While most cars can make it, take it slow. The potholes are deep and clumped together. There’s also a tree down, but someone cleared a path around it, so it’s passable.

We started hiking at 2:45 AM. Sunrise was at 5:14 AM, so we had plenty of time. The trail is short but steep in parts. This was my sixth time doing this hike—if you're prepared, you can summit in under 1 hour and 15 minutes.

There are a few downed trees: one at the beginning (with a shortcut around it), another near the top you’ll have to go around, and a few others just off to the side. We reached the summit at 4:35 AM, just in time for an incredible sunrise. Clear views of Mt. Adams, Mt. St. Helens, and of course, Tahoma (Rainier).

When we got to the platform, two young adults were camping on the lookout platform with a tent and chairs and acted annoyed that people were walking around. Just to be clear: camping on the platform is not allowed due to lack of a lightning protection system, or along the trail itself. Please don’t be that guy and pitch a tent anyway—that’s how nice things are taken away!

If you're planning a sunrise hike, you can camp near the trailhead or in designated campsites in the surrounding forest, but not at the lookout or along the trail.

We started heading down at 6:00 AM and reached the car at 6:52 AM.