After seeing WTA mentioning this was the hike of the week. I decided to go to Rainier and see for myself. A beautiful day, Saturday, and a free pass weekend. Little did I realize the amount of people that would be on the trail! I arrived at the trailhead after about 11 miles of bumpy dust road only to find out at 9 am there were already 100+ cars! Nevermind, in for a penny in for a pound. The walk can start right away if you hop down to the lake. It seems not to many people walk the lake walk to the trailhead. It was a little muddy but one spot already had recent bear tracks! The trail to Spray Falls and park and beyond is just to the right and is a nice trail in the woods for awhile. No bugs on the trip in, but plenty mosquitos, black flies in the afternoon. The first stop is Eagle lookout, and is worthwile to get a nice photo-op of Rainier and your group. Next is a small detour to Spray Falls and is a must to see. Pictures just don't do justice to the water falling down like silver silk strands. Dont pass this one by. After a bit more of a jaunt you come into Spray Park. Right now is the time to see these wildflowers. They only last for a few weeks typically, and are really blooming.

What a gorgeous hike! We stayed the first night at Eagle's Roost Campground just so we could get an early start the next morning. When we arrived at Spray Park, WOW is all I had to say. All the wildflowers were in bloom (subalpine lupine, avalanche lilies, pink mountain heather, alpine paintbrush, etc etc). It was a clear day with amazing views of Mount Rainier! That night we stayed at Carbon River Campground and made a side trip to Carbon Glacier. We decided to do a loop back to Mowich Lake by way of Wonderland Trail/Ipsut Pass. The way up the Pass was quite interesting and unlike nothing I had experienced. Very narrow and covered with loose rocks. The flied and mosquitoes were out in force on this side of the mountains! Overall an amazing trip! Well worth the hard work and bugs!

Other than mention that the long gravel road to Lake Mowich is getting a bit washboarded, I'll just present a few pictures showing views of Spray Park that are usually overlooked in trip reports. It's easy to get so involved in looking at the wildflower displays that you forget the stunning scenery surrounding the park. P.S. As you get higher up, the rugged "alpine mosquitoes" attack with a vengeance. Bring DEET if you value your skin.

There have been several reports on this trail recently, so won't bore you with the details. Flowers are peak right now. So are the mosquitos. Take caution. I will be visiting this park several times in the coming days.

I've got to thank Climbear and his report on Spray Park. I have never been there in Spring. Long ago in the Fall and once on skis in March or April. The flowers are splendid and mid-week is probably a good time to avoid crowds since there were more than enough people even today. But being early meant most were seen on the way out. THE MOUNTAIN was out for much of the trip but occasionally was wrapped by clouds. The valley was full of puffy clouds and they moved up as I was heading down and thinly veiled the trail for a short while. Did I mention the flowers - well, it bears mentioning again anyway. The road is washboardy but any car can do it. It was also dusty. Do it in this next week. Small mosquitoes were out and about but the view made them insignificant.