Tolmie Peak Lookout - Eunice Lake — Sunday, Aug. 14, 2016

Mount Rainier Area > NW - Carbon River/Mowich

As far as the road being rough I understand from one of the NPS rangers that it was recently graded and it is one of the best dirt roads I've been on this year to get to a remote trailhead. A bit of washboard but any car really shouldn't have much of a problem as long as you are paying attention for potholes. That said it is extremely dusty so make sure your washer fluid is full, run your ventilation system on recirculate, and when you park avoid the temptation of leaving windows cracked regardless of how hot it is. On to the hike. The walk along Mowich is beautiful with Rainier peaking through the trees along the way. Once you head away from the lake the trail remains pretty smooth for most of the hike. If you're hiking in the morning the trail is in shade most of the way to Eunice Lake. At the cutoff for Ipsut Pass I highly recommend walking the little bit over to the pass, the view is incredible and their was a wonderful breeze coming through on our way in and out. One thing to note for this hike is that while the altitude gain from the trailhead to the Lookout is only 1100 feet you actually do around 1900 feet (1910 according to my tracker) due to the fact that you actually lose elevation during a couple sections of the trail that you then have to climb again. When you head up from Eunice Lake there is a small cirque bowl that was full of purple wildflowers, if you take a short trip the the left at this T you get an amazing panorama with Mount Rainier, St. Helens, and a view as far as the weather allows. From there head back up the other way and you are at the lookout. The view of the mountain from here is simply stunning with the lakes below it.