Gobblers Knob — Saturday, Aug. 13, 2011

Mount Rainier Area > SW - Longmire/Paradise

First an important note: the GPS flag on the website here is wrong, it leads to a different trailhead about 1.5 mi from Gobblers Knob. Follow Forest Service Road 59 the entire way, without varying from it, as the written directions tell you to. There is still snow on parts of the trail, and parts are overgrown or have large trees fallen through the trail. However, while we were there a Forest Service crew was hard at work, and had already cleared portions of it by the time we went down, so chances are good trail will be clear within a few days, though it's unlikely the snow will melt at all this year. Also an important note: when you reach the trailhead, it says nothing about Gobblers Knob or Goat Lake initially, and when you reach the first split in the trail (just above the parking lot), the sign does not indicate which way to go. Go right, following the Puyallup trail, which will take you to the summit after 4 miles or so. This portion of the trail is uncrowded until you reach the summit, and bugs are only a problem in the meadows, with no bugs at the summit. View is spectacular!