Went into this trail adventure with low expectations. Serendipitously, I read a hiking post that provided a surge of inspiration to get on the Sunrise side of Mt Rainier park trails this summer. Supposedly no Rainier summit views on this trail? Not true. There was a stunning view from Brown Peak. When I returned to the Sunrise Point parking lot I hopped on the Sourdough Ridge Trail towards the Sunrise Visitor Center and Dege Peak. That late in the game the climb to Dege Peak was grueling but the summit view was amazing and I encountered only one other hiker all the way out/back. 14 total miles for the day with a robust 3500' of ascent. This included side hustles to the two peaks and six lakes. Thrilled that I found some new trail options on the Sunrise side that don't involve parking at the visitor center. The Sunrise Point parking lots below were already half full at 0610 but I had the trails all to myself after the first mile.
Type of Hike
Day hikeTrail Conditions
Trail in good conditionRoad
Road suitable for all vehiclesBugs
Bugs were not too badSnow
Snow free
Comments
skygirl07 on Palisades Lakes
Thanks for the review, was thinking of going back for the wildflowers. Palisades doesn't get many boot prints but it was the best showing of lupine I've ever seen a few years back.
Posted by:
skygirl07 on Jul 28, 2025 09:20 PM
iamsarahshu on Palisades Lakes
Oh beautiful wildflower pic! I am thinking of maybe taking my kiddos and stopping at Clover Lake - happy to see it is beautiful even if we don't go the full length. I've hiked at Sunrise so many times but have never hit this trail.
Posted by:
iamsarahshu on Jul 29, 2025 04:39 PM