Tolmie Peak Lookout - Eunice Lake — Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016

Mount Rainier Area > NW - Carbon River/Mowich

Got up early to hike to Eunice Lake, with the intention of heading to Tolmie Peak. I was hiking with my 6 year old daughter and family friends. The dirt road is very long (17 miles) and very bumpy. Be prepared to wash your car if the weather has been dry because it's very dusty. I drive a Kia Optima and made it just fine. The parking lot fills up extremely fast so be prepared to park and walk a ways if you get there later in the day. The trail follows the west side of the lake and gradually climbs and then gets steeper as you move away from the lake. About 2 miles in, there's a spot to check out Ipsut Pass and it's a marvelous view of the valley below. Be sure to check it out. The trail gets a bit steeper so you may need to take a break or two on the way up but there's spots to step aside if needed; although my daughter was doing just fine so we kept plugging along. Just short of one mile after that, you'll arrive at Eunice Lake. It's a gorgeous blue, crystal clear lake and a perfect spot to cool off and dip your feet. Several small trails bring you closer to the lake. We played at the lake for a while and enjoyed lunch there; no bugs! You could see Tolmie Peak lookout tower from the lake. Weather moved in so we didn't head to the top as the view of Mt. Rainier was completely covered with no end to the clouds in sight. We had a great time at the lake while we were there eating lunch and would definitely go back.