Glacier Vista Snowshoe — Tuesday, Jun. 18, 2024

WOW. After our plans had been thwarted by weather the day before, we returned to the park before 7 a.m. for what was foretold to be a clear morning - and we were not disappointed. When we arrived at Paradise, the sky was bright and the mountain was visible for only a few seconds through the fog. But after hiking for about 3/4 of a mile, we got our first glimpse of the full mountain through the fog. As we continued, the mountain became more and more visible until we passed completely through the cloud line. The view of Tahoma in the sunshine was unreal. Standing at Glacier Vista was unreal. Surrounded by sunshine and sparkling snow, we had the clearest view of the mountian's glaciers and peaks ahead of us and Mounts Adams, Saint Helens, and Hood peeking up above the cloud line behind us.

The trail had been well-travelled the past few days, so despite the previous day's precipitation, the trail was very clear. Just make sure to follow the orange sticks in the snow and do not go past the X's.

My mom and I wore Yaktrax and carried a pole each, which was plenty to keep from slipping. I highly recommend some traction for folks who, like me, are new to hiking on snow like this. However, my partner went without traction and was a-ok. The trail was well-packed but you can expect to posthole when you step off the well-trodden path.

Started around 7:10 a.m. and returned by about 9:30. This was with many stops to enjoy this unforgettable view! We encountered 20-30 other small hiking groups/pairs earlier on in our hike but still had 10-15 minutes to ourselves at the vista, though larger crowds had started to form by the time we got back down to the visitor center.