Little Ranger Peak via Ranger Creek — Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026

I parked my Ranger on the east side of 410, near a clear bootpath that takes you right up to a sign on the White River trail. Following this towards the junction with Ranger Creek trail, you almost immediately get to your first set of blowdowns. 

While on that topic, I'll report the amount of blowdowns per section of trail I counted all the way to Little Ranger Peak. 

White River to Little Ranger viewpoint: 12 

Little Ranger viewpoint to junction with Palisades trail: 19

Palisades trail to summit of Little Ranger Peak: 60+ 

To be clear, not all of these were terribly difficult to get through/around/under/over, and they ranged in size from 6"-24" in diameter. Though they take time to negotiate. Also some were slightly dangerous in terms of stability and stob. And.. one in particular at about 3.8 miles in, which was a bit of a blowdown/rootball combo, had me go sideways after tripping over a sneaky root. 

That said, there is plenty of clear trail to enjoy, and this was a wonderfully quiet sunny weekend day where the only other hiker I encountered was in the last mile on my descent. 

Some other takeaways I can share: First, the Palisades trail is fully snow covered between the junction and about a half mile before Little Ranger Peak. No traction required but gaiters and poles are helpful. Second, there are goats around here! When I was just about to reach the viewpoint off the switchback near the summit, I was greeted with a surprising and curious gaze of one said goat. I backed away to give it space, and when I slowly began making my way to the viewpoint it had disappeared. Third, the summit of Little Ranger Peak is attainable via an easy forested slope scramble and has a register tube. These views were the most clear and expansive of the entire hike. 

RT 11.4/2562ft