A beautiful hike.
The road to the trailhead is pretty rough (gravel road). It can get dusty and affect visibility with the dust flying around. Turning on your car lights to help with visibility even in the day is recommended.
The trail is in a great shape, 1.7mi to Eunice Lake and a total of 2.8 mi to the Tolmie Lookout. The trail is mostly shaded, walks initially along with the Mowich Lake, and is at times rooty and rocky. The tree cover makes this a cool choice for a hot day trek. There are a few switchbacks to cross before you get to Eunice Lake. We were treated and greeted by a field of avalanche lilies just before arriving at the Lake. It was a gorgeous sight!
From here its a 1.0 mile to the lookout. Interestingly unlike other lookouts which feel closer than they are, this one felt further away but the actual climb was pretty straight forward. It is a bit steep in places but certainly do-able for all ages and abilities. There were many families with kids as little as 3 on this trail.
Take in the sights of Eunice lake, Rainier on the side and blooming beargrass. On a lucky day one might see St. Helen's. We were lucky for a few minutes when the clouds cleared up on Helen's. The clouds did not budge from Rainier though. Even so, the views were like none other. Huge rewards for a short and straightforward hike.
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