Tolmie Peak Lookout - Eunice Lake — Wednesday, Sep. 14, 2016

Mount Rainier Area > NW - Carbon River/Mowich

I got up very early and got to the trail head at 7:30. The road in was passable even for my little front wheel drive Camry. That being said, it was somewhat slow going on the way in as the road is washboarded pretty well and there are some gnarly pothole sections right near the payment area in the NP. Definitely allow for a little more time to get up to the trailhead on the way in if you are in a lower clearance vehicle. The hike itself was very nice. I started at the Tolmie Peak Trailhead rather than the Mowich Lk Campground because I wanted to get up to the observation point before the sun had gotten too high (and thus makes pictures of Rainier nearly impossible for a few hours). The hike along the lake is quite picturesque, however, and I did add that onto the end of my trip. There were only a couple cars parked at the trailhead when I arrived, but when I returned it was reasonably full. I had the trail to myself at that early hour in the morning and the weather was cool but gorgeous. The actual hiking is not particularly strenuous, although the trail does have lots of roots and some rocks that make certain areas just a bit tricky. Although the hike itself could be a touch underwhelming, the views on a clear day are well worth a visit!