Skookum Flats — Monday, May. 3, 2004

Mount Rainier Area > Chinook Pass - Hwy 410

A lovely trail! I was out on a scouting trip for WTA's next Behind the Scenery tour of the Skookum Flats Trail. With just 400 feet of elevation gain over several miles, it is refreshingly flat...a great walk to warm up for the summer. You travel alongside the White River the entire time through forests young and old. A stunning waterfall several hundred feet tall spills over a clif just before the halfway point. There are a few trouble spots that WTA volunteers are working on this week; otherwise the terrain is easily travelled. Tidy little bridges take you over small, picturesque streams and you eventually come upon a larger suspension bridge that evokes scenes from Indiana Jones. Bright Calypso Orchids, blushing trillium and yellow violets are peaking out from the salal and ferns right now. Watch for Elk on your drive there; I saw six outside of Greenwater. I'll do this hike again on Friday, May 21 starting at 9 am. If you'd like to go Behind the Scenery with WTA, please email me for details at lace@wta.org.