This being a very smokey Monday, we saw only a few other cars on the road to Mowich. The dirt road is washboard almost the whole way and even without traffic it took about 45 minutes, but it's passable by just about any car. There were plenty of parking places open at Mowich both when we arrived at 9:00 and when we departed at 15:00. Though there weren't a lot of day hikers like us, the Mowich Lake campground was bustling with overnighters, and most of the people we met on the trail were equipped for camping too.
Facilities at Mowich are good. The latrines at the Paul Peak trailhead (on the way) are even better, remarkably non-stinky. They must have been emptied recently.
Smoke seriously reduced visibility, such that my out-of-town visitor had trouble seeing Rainier even when I pointed it out! That's a shame, but even without that it's a great trail with lots to look at. We went to the peak elevation on the Spray Park Trail, 6400 feet, where there are still snow fields off the trail. Trail condition is very good throughout. Round-trip distance was around 8.4 miles, plus a short excursion to Spray Falls. Getting a good view of Spray Falls involves a creek crossing which requires very careful footing, preferably with poles, and might not be to everyone's taste.
Comments