Road is full of potholes and takes a long time to travel. I have included a picture of the washed out part of the road. Unfortunately, I don't think it does the obstruction justice. You do end up going sideways a bit as you cross over it. Fortunately, the trail is not full of obstructions. Arrived about 10 am on Wednesday with 11 other cars already in the lot. One of these was a park volunteer who was checking/cleaning the campsites at Lake Eleanor and then on towards Berkely. We thanked her for her work. The hike to Lake Eleanor was a nice warmup. I did miss the path onto Grand Park (it is behind you as you look at the lake) and ended up circling the lake towards the campsites. Bonus though, found the toilet. The climb to the meadows is all in trees so you are shaded during the most strenuous parts of the hike. Mosquitos didn't get really bad until after the first meadow (for some reason, they were quieter on the return trip). Had to reapply repellent during this part of the journey. There are still flowers in bloom, and the views of Rainier are spectacular during the whole meadow walk. The unexpected surprise was the number of grasshoppers on the trail further down the second meadow. It was a little unreal. Makes for an interesting adventure along the way. We did extend along the Northern Loop to get the magnificent view of Rainier in all her glory. While taking a break, we met another ranger headed towards Camp James to check/clean the site. We made sure to thank her as well. All in all, another great day.
Okay, pet peeve rant. As we were leaving - about .25 miles before the trailhead, someone had dumped a bunch of toilet paper off trail. It was really weird. Remember to pack out ALL your trash. Just bring a plastic bag for the TP, plants, animals, hikers, and rangers will all thank you.
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