Emerald Ridge is a long day hike that is accessed from the Westside Road in the southwest corner of Rainier National Park. It is a beautiful almost snowfree hike that is perfect this time of year. The West Side Road is closed to cars at mile 3. We biked up the Westside Rd 3.8 miles to the South Puyallup Trail. It is moderately steep and gains a total of 1000 feet of elevation. We were able to ride it the entire way (with few breaks to catch our breath). You just have to tell yourself that the effort is totally worth it for the effortless return trip. It can easily be done on the hybrid bike but a mountain bike is more stable on the speedy return trip. There is a bike rack at the top of Emerald Ridge and the trail is just a bit further up the road (just before the Marine Memorial).
The South Puyallup trail loses 350 feet in the first 0.6miles then starts climbing. The old growth forest here is very pleasant. At mile 6.0 you cross below some impressive basalt cliffs. They were beautifully illuminated at 4:00 pm on our return trip. The final 1.5 miles of trail is full of loose rocks and pumice. It's not terrible but it would be easy to turn an ankle. There were a few flat snow patches near the top that were easy to traverse.
The view of Rainier and Tahoma glacier from the viewpoint on Emerald Ridge is really beautiful. The mountain was encased in clouds when we arrived but luckily is fully emerged just as we finished our lunch.
On the drive out we had burgers and beer at Rainier Basecamp Bar and Grill in Ashford. This is such a perfect, mellow outdoor setting to recharge after a long day hike.
We only saw 3 people all day. RT 16.4 miles and 3500 ft elevation gain. Only saw one mosquito on this cool mostly sunny day.
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