What better way to spend Independence Day than in a national park?
I got a late start to the day and didn't reach the trailhead until after 1pm. The parking lot at the Mowich Lake campground was completely full and cars were lined up along the road, but as long as you don't mind a little extra walking it shouldn't be a problem.
The road to Mowich Lake is in good condition and almost entirely pothole-free; my sedan handled it just fine. If there are any cars in front of you they're going to kick up a lot of dust though, which made for some very low-visibility stretches. There are some tight turns, so when in doubt, take it slow.
The trail has quite a few elevation gains and losses prior to reaching the peak itself, which I thought made it a little easier than a straight uphill battle. There's still some snow on the trail around Eunice Lake, mostly tightly packed and easily navigated. The mud, on the other hand, is a little tougher to avoid. Thankfully, most of the trail is dry.
When you reach the summit you're treated to a spectacular view. Rainier and Eunice Lake below are obviously breathtaking, but it was clear enough today that you could see Mount St. Helens to the south, Puget Sound and the Olympics to the west, and Baker to the north. Simply awesome.
On the way back down I took a very short spur to check out a waterfall that can be heard from the main trail. Cool (and refreshing) place to spend a couple minutes.
The bees were out in force today, and I would have preferred they weren't buzzing me quite as much as they were, but that's a minor complaint to get a view like that. There were also a number of people with dogs, despite the "no pets" notice at the trailhead, but that's certainly not an issue isolated to this trail.
Definitely one of my favorite Rainier hikes!
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