Narada Falls to Reflection Lakes — Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020

A great snowshoeing day on Mt. Rainier, going from the Narada Falls trailhead to Reflection Lakes and back. This is a terrific hike for first-time snowshoers.  At the end of this report I've added a link to a winter trail map of the area posted on the Mt. Rainier National Park website:  

The road was wet and snow-free into the Narada Falls parking lot and up to Paradise. The Park Service folks have worked hard to clear the road between the Nisqually entrance and Longmire removing a collection of downed trees earlier this month.  The parking lot is large with plenty of room for everyone.  (Be sure to check the Mt. Rainier twitter account to see when the gate at Longmire will open.)

The weather was suppose to be cloudy and rainy with snow arriving in the afternoon.  We arrived to a bit of fog and a slight drizzle at about 11am, which quickly gave way to gorgeous blue skies.  What a surprise!

Snowshoes are a must for this hike.  If you don't have them you can rent them at Whittaker's in Ashford or at the store at Longmire.  

The trailhead is located just past the restroom and is probably the trickiest part of the entire hike; it's an awkward, slick, yet very short ascent to the trail.  

There are several options for this hike.  Once you are about 3/4 mile from the trailhead you have a choice of going up through the woods or following a flatter, longer, and more open route to the lake.  Both are great, though the open route has a higher avalanche possibility.  On the route through the woods there was fork at the meadow above the lake, with a social trail to the left and the marked trail to the right. Both went to the lake, but the social trail was a gentler grade through a more beautiful and open area.  When you arrive at the lake you can explore around the lake or down the Stevens Canyon Road.  The views from the north side of the lake show off the Tatoosh Range and the views from the south side of the lake provide great views of Rainier. 

More Information on this Trip Report

• https://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/upload/Paradise-Winter-Recreation-Nov18wMap.pdf