I've been trying to catch sunrise at Paradise forever. The Perseid meteor shower was blitzing up the sky and obliterating the parking on the mountain. I arrived at 4 a.m. and missed most of the show, but there were stil a few streaks in the sky. Going clockwise meant an easy (because of the paved trail), steep traverse in the dark. At one poine there was a large dark fleece blanket that was left on the trail. Let me tell you how hard it was to determine it was not an animal. Headlamps can only do so much. I'll have to come back for the flowers since I didn't get to see much until Panorama Point when the sky lit up. I went down Golden Gate. I was just up there Monday, but it was misty and moody, and seemed much more colorful than today's first morning light display. If you're out for flowers, Golden Gate isn't going to give you that treat right now, maybe not this summer. The drive up and down had the best display. So, so pretty! I wanted to hit more trails since it was still early, but the smoky haze was doing a number on my ashtma, so I had to call it a day. Oh, last thing, I fianlly came across a marmot. It's been wildlife lite this summer. I was going down Golden Gate just asking where the heck were the animals when a light colored marmot popped out of the shrubbery (pronounced like they say it in Monte Python and the Holy Grail). I was up on my toes. Then it started toward me and I was not on my toes. But then it took a languid stretch, reaching out and opening its mouth. So dang awesome. Happy trekking!

We arrived at the ranger station around 7:30 AM.  A dozen or so cars in line.  A ranger was standing by the line checking for visitors with national passes and waved us through.  By the time we arrived at Paradise the lower parking lot was nearly full.  

We hiked clockwise.  We’ve hiked this loop quite a few times and for me it’s easier on the knees for the descent. As you huff and puff your way up Skyline clockwise at least the view of the mountain is there to cheer you on. Haha.  The mountain was out in all its splendor as we started the hike.

There’s a part of the trail close to Glacier Vista which I recall WTA/NPS were working on maybe 2-3 years ago.  Looks great! Thanks, crew :) 

There’s water running over the trail at Pebble Creek, puddles in some places but easy to cross.  Clouds eventually started rolling in so the usual views at Pan Point were mostly obscured.  So on we went to Upper Skyline - there’s some water on the trail by the creek there as well,   then descended via Golden Gate trail.  By that time the clouds in the distance had mostly cleared.  What a breathtaking view!  Mt. Adams was visible beyond the Tatoosh Range today.

There’s a colorful patch of paintbrush and lousewort by Pan Point. Gorgeous pink monkeyflower by the creek.  Descending Golden Gate saw lots of heather, bistort, mopheads, asters, arnica, rosy spirea. I saw one lupine flowering on the entire descent. Too early in the season perhaps?  Although in previous years they’re usually in bloom by now.  Beargrass by Myrtle Falls. Scarlet paintbrush blooming in profusion, some fireweed around the parking lots. I spotted one bog gentian blooming  along the roadside path from the upper to lower parking lot.

Marmots were out and about today, their whistles carrying across the valley. Several crossed the trail in front of us or were just a few feet away  We spotted a large mountain goat high on the ridgeline.  Lots of ground squirrels.  One deer by the parking lot. 

Parts of the trail were swarming with hikers (so if you crave solitude this is not the trail for you…). Golden Gate was less crowded than Skyline.  Sad to see some hikers ignoring the signs not to meadowstomp. 

By the time we left the line of cars waiting to enter the Paradise parking lot snaked all the way down a bit beyond the turnoff to Stevens Canyon Road.  The line of cars waiting to enter the park extended to Copper Creek Inn, about 2.5 miles away.  

Wonderful hike!  I've included 5min of video highlights below..

Road/Parking: even arriving by 8am on a weekday, the upper Paradise parking lot was full and the lower lot only had 6 empty spaces left - arrive early!

Wildflowers: yellow & pink monkey flowers, saxifrage, shooting star, western pasqueflower, lupine(mostly finished), bistort, sitka valerian, heather, marsh marigold, cusick speedwell, lousewort, groundsel, arnica, phlox, paintbrush and more I've forgotten!

Crowds: lots of hikers until the Paradise Glacier Trail turnoff and after that very few

Wildlife (besides people haha): marmots, chipmunks, thrush

Bugs: a few horseflies and mosquitos

Snow: Non on trail until going past 'end of maintained trail' sign, toward old ice caves site.  Beyond that several easy to cross, fairly flat snowfields.

I hate to report that the flowers in the subalpine meadows around Paradise are quite subpar. For instance, I did not see one lupine plant in bloom on the Golden Gate trail. Photo 4 shows how dry and warm it has been this year compared to average (from the NWS).

Of course, there are still millions of beautiful flowers. Here are the trails that had the best flowers: Along the road by Reflection Lakes, Mazama Ridge, the 1 mile south of Skyline (photo 1, the thickest lupine is here), Paradise Glacier (photo 3), Moraine (these last 2 are always the least crowded by far), Skyline from Myrtle Falls counterclockwise to the creek crossing just beyond the intersection with Paradise Glacier (photo 3), and lower Deadhorse. There are a wide range of phases, some thick areas of avalanche lilies to spots of Cascade asters and everything in between.

There is 1 short, easy patch of snow on the Skyline below the turnoff to the Golden Gate.          

We took the advice of the national park service and timed our trip to Paradise for the evening, this gave us a no hassle upper parking lot space, although in general things were still busy.  It was a beautiful evening and we planned to hike and enjoy the iconic view of Myrtle Falls.  Unfortunately the trail down to the falls has become dangerously eroded and is now closed for the season as the park service will be working to restore it.  You can still enjoy the iconic view from the lovely bridge at the top of the falls where the trail crosses the creek.  We continued on heading higher into Edith Creek basin on the now Golden Gate trail.  The evening light was just beautiful with fields of both Avalanche and Glacier lilies, and Pasque flowers too.  Eventually we were high enough to reach the snow and being prepared with boots and poles continued on the packed boot path another quarter mile or so.  Eventually the trail petered out so we stopped not wanting to damage the meadow beneath the thinning snow field.  Turning back to Paradise the late evening sun was now spotlighting the Tatosh Range.  Extra excitement on the return came from watching a goat grazing in the meadow and a male grouse championing his cause.  Paradise was really living up to its name. 

But of course as it seems these instagrammable days with so much good comes the bad.  The trail immediately at the beginning of the basin is eroded beyond belief with two additional boot beaten side trails, with a third of freshly compressed flowers forming.  The park service has put up crossing canes but people are just ignoring them and hiking this destroyed section anyway.  And with no rangers present it was bad behavior bingo.  Folks hopping the ropes to get to eroded view points, people wandering off trail deep into the flower meadows, a group picnicking on a blanket in a patch of lilies, and of course the perennial a family with pet in tow.  How sad.