Today I hiked the "Northeast Loop" at Mount Rainier National Park. I parked my car at the Huckleberry Creek Trailhead along FSR 73. There are many large potholes on this road, but any car should be able to make it to the trailhead as long as you go slow enough. It took me 35 minutes to drive from the SR 410 turn-off to the Huckleberry Trailhead. My car was the only one parked at the trailhead in the morning and the only car parked there when I returned in the afternoon. Based on the number of spider webs I walked through this morning, I don't think the Huckleberry Creek Trail gets a lot of traffic. I enjoyed the solitude as I trekked through the old-growth trees up to Forest Lake.
After saying hello to a couple of backpackers, I continued up the trail to Sourdough Ridge. I turned right and proceeded past Frozen Lake and down to Berkeley Park. Fall colours were beautiful along this stretch of trail. Eventually I entered the best part of the loop: Grand Park. Views looking back towards Rainier were spectacular, even with the clouds, smoke, and rain enveloping the summit. After walking the length of the Park, I hiked down to Lake Eleanor and the Lake Eleanor Trailhead. From there, all that was left was a 4-mile roadwalk downhill back to my car at the Huckleberry Trailhead.
Total Stats for the day were 24 miles and 4600 vertical feet. I saw very few people during most of the loop (with the exception of the portion of trail closest to Sunrise, of course). With the Fairfax River Bridge closure blocking easy access to the classic Loop through Spray Park in the northwest corner of the Park, this Northeast Loop is a fantastic alternative.
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