Tolmie Peak Lookout - Eunice Lake — Saturday, Aug. 16, 2014

Mount Rainier Area > NW - Carbon River/Mowich

My wife and I brought our 9 and 11 year old daughters and joined a group of WTA Hike-A-Thoners for this great trail. The kids have done Rattlesnake Ledge before, so we knew they could do the elevation gain without a problem. The trail goes up/down a few times on the way to Eunice Lake. It makes for a nice break in trail monotony. There are lots of interesting geological features, wild flowers, and views the whole way. When you get to Eunice Lake and look up to the lookout you get a short burst of - "really? That's up there!" Ignore it, take a quick break and snack, and then buckle up and trudge up the rest of the way. Besides seeing the history of an active fire lookout station, you see some of the most amazing views possible. The views to the north and west were under complete cloud cover today, but the view south to Rainier and the Lakes (Eunice/Mowich) were beyond breathtaking. WIldflowers were in various states of bloom - lots of bear grass, some in bloom, some not; lupine at one point; high bells, and more are all out and visible. Bugs were not bad for me, but they generally just buzz me and bit others. For others in the group they were kind of bad, so I marked it as such. Road was in good shape for its normal state. It is a bit bumpy in spots and would recommend leaving the Prius at home and bringing more of a sedan/SUV.