It's almost last call for the White River trailheads and the weather was perfect this morning so I figured I'd go get my cardio on a Glacier Basin/Burroughs/Sunrise Rim/Wonderland loop. According to the GPS this ended up being 10.6 miles and 3,260 feet of gain.
When I got to the trailhead it was surprisingly busy. I thought a bunch of people must have had the same idea I'd had, but after talking to a few it turns out at least half the people there had planned a Sunrise outing and hadn't realized that the road was closed. At 2pm as I was heading down Wonderland back to White River Campground I was still passing people heading up asking how much further it was to Mount Fremont lookout. I'm never sure how to properly answer the "Are we almost there?" questions on hikes when the party asking is most definitely not almost there.
At the end of my hike there were quite a few cars parked along the road and in the early campsites and the day lot was starting to get a few spots opening up but more people were still arriving. The toilets next to the day lot are locked for the season but there is a vault toilet available a bit of a walk back down the road towards the entrance station. Your better bet is to make a pit stop right after the main White River road entrance gate.
The loop is in great condition. There are two blowdowns, the first on Glacier Basin is trivial to step over, the second on the lower part of Sunrise Trail has a detour already trod around it. Doing the loop clockwise means getting up to the views a bit later in the day, however it makes for an easier descent as the Wonderland trail is smoother, wider, and softer than the Sunrise trail.
It was surreal having Second Burroughs all to myself for the entire time I ate lunch. Not only were there no people, the army of begging chipmunks has disappeared as well, no doubt despondent at the disappearance of their summer buffets.
Comments
DRDana on Glacier Basin, Sunrise Rim Trail, Burroughs Mountain, Wonderland Trail
Thanks for the great report, but you just complicated my decision on where to hike tomorrow! I had not considered Burroughs because I thought it was already snowy up there.
Posted by:
DRDana on Oct 19, 2023 09:27 PM
vikr on Glacier Basin, Sunrise Rim Trail, Burroughs Mountain, Wonderland Trail
Why didn’t you tell them that the Fremont lookout is pretty far and they need to start from another trailhead (which is closed now). Better to shatter their misconceptions now than them figuring it out hours later.
Posted by:
vikr on Oct 19, 2023 09:36 PM
slo go on Glacier Basin, Sunrise Rim Trail, Burroughs Mountain, Wonderland Trail
We did that hike and one to Freemont last year after the road closed. Standing at the 2nd Burroughs and the Freemont Lookout with no people is really a special feeling. Its like, I have all this to myself, and I do not feel guilty.
Nice pics and report and we encountered about 15 or so people headed the Sunrise lot and we sent them up the stairs for a look over the backside. Met one couple and a lone hiker that went to the Fist Burroughs and then came back the same way. Told them about the loop and they will do that next time for sure.
Posted by:
slo go on Oct 20, 2023 10:23 AM