Oh my goodness - so much to talk about Mt Rainier this year!
First off - the timed entry system worked well. Granted we had the afternoon shift of 1-3PM, but there was only 1 other car in front of us and we were through in a matter of minutes.
Being that we were on the afternoon shift, we didn't want to do a long or challenging hike, so we hitup Madcap, Carter, and Narada Falls.
#alwaysreviewthetoilets 🧻 - there are none at the trailhead! Your best bet is to stop at Longmire. And the trail is busy enough that using a la-tree-ine is probs going to be difficult.
Ok - now for the trip report. Parking for the trailhead is via a turnoff on the side of the road. It's fairly large and there is one in each direction. We had no issues parking around 2 PM on a gorgeous Thursday afternoon. It seems most people who are parked aren't hiking but snapping photos, so turnover is pretty high.
You'll be hiking on the Wonderland trail. And it's super well maintained and easy going between the TH and Narada Falls. Right off the bat you get to cross over the Nisqually River - which was raging - on what looks like a rickety bridge. It's really no problem, but when I cross a bridge and look down at fast moving water - I get a little dizzy 😵💫.
The tl;dr; for the report - trail is in great shape. Well maintained, easy stepping, and super surprising, not a lot of people! It's Rainier, there were some, but there were plenty of times were we'd go at least 20 minutes without seeing somebody.
Ok - so a little more description ... after you get past the bridge, the rest of the trail is easy going. You'll gain roughly 1300' if you go all the way to Narada Falls - but the trail is incredibly well maintained and wide. There are some stones and some roots here are there, but compared to some other trails, this is a dream.
The Paradise River keeps you company most of the way. You'll cross over it on a solid bridge. There are steps down to the river at that bridge if you wanted to fill up on water.
You'll first hit Carter Falls, then quickly after Madcap Falls. IMO, it's worth continuing on to Narada Falls. Carter & Madcap are nice ... Narada is better. And the trail is just so nice. My watch showed ~5.8 miles roundtrip & 1300' elevation gain for the roundtrip.
You'll know when you're near Narada Falls cuz, well, you'll hear it, but you'll also start to see more people. (There's another short trail that goes there.)
Turning around, same deal, except in reverse 😉. The most people you'll run into will be at the Nisqually River snapping photos. I could not have asked for more with this hike!
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