Grove of the Patriarchs Loop — Thursday, Jun. 18, 2015

Mount Rainier Area > SE - Cayuse Pass/Stevens Canyon

This was a great, easy hike, nearly level, with the actual loop at the end entirely on a boardwalk. There were many informational placards throughout and no bugs to drive us crazy as we stopped to read them. There are some beautiful old trees all along this trail with some really big ones at the end. The suspension bridge is really low on the water, not scary at all by really anyone's measure. We had a squirrel follow us for most of the trail and saw great examples of new growth on downed trees. Overall, this was a fantastic leisurely stroll through the woods. We hiked there from the Ohanapecosh campground and got there around 11 when it was just starting to get busy. There was no parking at all, lots of people circling, and a ton of people on the trail by the time we left just after noon, so get there early.