Berkeley Park, Grand Park via Lake Eleanor — Friday, Aug. 1, 2025

An amazing day out in nature! Previous reports about the road are accurate. We made it without trouble in a Subaru Outback. The trail is in excellent condition. Bugs were horrible in the wooded areas- mosquitos and biting flies. We encountered a strong smell of something dead as we approached Grand Park and the ravens were letting us know we were invading their territory. We didn’t see anything but passed another hiker who had heard there were several bear in that area when they passed by earlier. We didn’t see them going in or out.

Mount Rainier was out in all her glory as we crossed the meadow. At the far intersection, we turned left and headed into Berkeley park in hopes of finding wildflowers. They did not disappoint. This entire trip was a wonderful mix of meadows, flowing water, flowers, and wooded paths. We appreciated the ebb and flow of up, down, and flat terrain. (The down at the beginning was a steep up at the end of a long day!) I turned around at the upper edge of what I think of as Berkeley Park. This seemed to be where the wildflowers began to explode. About 1.5 miles beyond Berkeley camp. We only encountered a dozen or so people the entire day. If you have the miles in your legs, this is a great way to see this area of the park without the crowds.

Total hike distance was 15.5 miles, with about 2700 elevation gain. 7.5 hours on the trail including time to pause and take in the scenery.