This was the perfect hike for my 18 month old.  The paved trail was perfect, and he loved getting on his belly to put his hands in the lake on this hot day.  Blueberries galore, with their firey red leaves brightened up the trail.  We wandered over to the car which was interesting to read about.  Watch for a huge hornests nest on the north side of the trail, about 8 feet away.  They didn't bother us, but be aware.

Two short trails to start off Hikeathon! We went up to Windy Ridge for a little sightseeing. Since the eruption was such a part of our lives,  we like to go every few years and watch the changes taking place in the blast zone. We walked to Meta lake, a short little walk that hardly seems the half mile listed in the guidebook, it's a beautiful little lake with an interesting natural history. The only thing to report is the path out to the viewing platform is underwater about 6 inches. 

The next little hike was the Windy Ridge trail. We both hiked up the steep stairs to a better viewpoint of Spirit Lake. My hubby can't hike much, so he volunteered to pick me up at the end of the Windy Ridge trail. This might be an option when traveling with non hikers. The trail continues past the viewpoint and heads gradually down on the opposite side of the ridge as the road. There are some great views of Spirit Lake with Mt Rainier in the background. As the trail goes down, beware of the slippery pumice under the cliffs, I had tennis shoes and wish I would have worn something with a bit more traction. I would be hesitant to take small children on this trail just because of that small section. Compared to Windy Ridge, it is surprisingly green here, lots of shrubs and perennial plants. It then swings back around the ridge and meets the road.  The trail must not be hiked much, even tho it is so short, it's pretty overgrown. 

Stopped at the parking lot at the "Miners Car" interpretive site at 10:30am, after having hiked Norway Pass. Followed a short, paved path to Meta Lake. The viewpoint at the end of the trail was under water, but no issues otherwise. Encountered only one other person.

Meta Lake is inaccessible by car. As of Jul 22, 2017, highway 99 is gated at Bear Meadows

https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/giffordpinchot/alerts-notices