Bottom Line:
Moderately strenuous hike that will reward you with stellar views of The Mountain while providing good amount of solitude - something hard to find in Mt. Rainier NP.
Access Road & Trailhead
If you’re new to gravel road driving, you’ll hate it. If you’re an avid PNW hiker, it’ll be just another road. Definitely not the worst nor the longest gravel road in my life.
Please be courteous (if you’re slow) and patient (if you’re fast) while driving it. Almost got into a head-on crash because some smart dude decided to pass in a blind curve. That being said, getting stuck for 16 miles behind a car barely making 10 mph and not willing to pull over can get anyone mad.
Cars were parked for a mile from the trailhead, and I got a spot about half a mile from it when I rolled in at 1.10 pm - although if I waited at turnaround like some people did, I’d most likely get a spot as many people were already leaving.
Trailhead has two fully stocked and clean restrooms and trash cans.
Hike
This trail is a trickster as it’s gradually loosing elevation for the first two miles - something you’ll have to regain on your way back when your legs are already tired.
Hike to the falls junction is pretty easy with some minor ups and downs. Hike past falls towards the park is a moderate-to-hard series of switchbacks, getting milder as it breaks onto meadows. Some mud is present in a couple spots, but otherwise the trail is obstacle-free. There’s a little patch of snow across the trail that isn’t sufficient to give it an “intermittent snow” status.
Views above tree line are truly astonishing all around. PM hike gives more favorable light for pictures of both Mt. Rainier and incredibly vast Mist Park.
There’s no “end” on this trail. My turnaround point was at 4 mi from the trailhead, where the trail started descending into Mist Park.
Another highlight of the hike was a cinnamon bear grazing on berries near the trail. It took no notice of hikers and soon went its way into the woods. Another bear was spotted near Mowich Lake and the trailhead.
Stats & Crowds
1.30 pm in - 5.10 pm out
1 hr 50 min to turnaround point / 4 mi
1 hr 30 min back to the trailhead / 4 mi
As others noted, while parking suggests a crowded disaster, Spray Park trail is surprisingly quiet and private. Apparently, majority of people visit for the lake.
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