This trail from the Sunrise Visitor Center is in great condition. Views are fabulous from the top to Rainier and down to Sunrise and Clover Lakes, Huckleberry Park. You can see/hear cars on the Sunrise road below, but flower and mountain vistas more than compensate. For a 4 mile round trip hike with very little elevation gain (600 feet?), you get a lot of bang for your buck. Most people head the other way on Sourdough Ridge, so we had several stretches of trail to ourselves on a sunny Sunday. Pics are at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/51278183@N05/sets/72157631299492512/

We got there around 6am. After we got above the cloud layer, it was blue and clear up there. A perfect day for a quick hike. We parked at Sunrise Point and hiked up to Dege peak heading toward Sunrise. An easy hike. Quick. Straight. Mild incline. Unfortunately I pulled a muscle in my leg so we opted for an easy one. And as far as easy goes, Dege peak, from either direction, is a good choice. Other than a photographer, a marmot, and a few birds, we were the only ones on the trail. All in all, a great trip to the mountain. Short though it was.

We started out about 7:30 in the morning. The day was clear with overcast, and the mountain peeked out once and then spent the rest of the day (while we were there) in clouds. There are still large pieces of snow all over Sunrise, but there's enough open land to keep some of the trails easy to find. We were hiking over alternating patches of ground and small fields of snow. The anemones are out in full, lilies, and lots of chipmunks. Not much else in the thick clouds that continuously rolled in and out of the area; constantly keeping nearby peaks in a grey blanket. But because of the, not so ideal, day there were fewer visitors to the area and the only people we met on the trail were a couple of park employees checking on the trail conditions. No views, but it's fun to hike in the clouds keeping even your immediate surroundings constantly changing.

5 of us in the Brooklake Hiking Group set out on this glorious day for Sunrise. Our plan, to hike to Dege Peak, part of the Sourdough Ridge trail, and then return on ridge and continue on to the Mount Fremont Lookout. We hit the trail at about 9:15 AM. The parking lot was not that full yet and we only saw one hiker on the way up. The weather was clear and the surrounding views were awe inspiring. There are only 2 or 3 small patches of snow remaining on the trail. There are a few larger snowbanks off-trail. We reached the summit in a little over an hour. We had the summit all to ourselves and tried out our various tripods, self-timers, etc to get some good group shots. If there were an index based upon exertion over panoramic views, this one just might beat about all. The views are 360 degrees and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Most major peaks in the Cascades from Mt Adams to Mt Baker visible. Also Olympics to the far west. We could also see the Fremont Lookout, our next destination. Some bugs on summit but not too bad. We stayed for 20 minutes or so. As we left more people arrived. We stopped to have a snowball throwing contest a short ways below the summit. Pete proved to have the most accurate arm. We continued on back along the ridge. The views of Mt Rainier are all in front of you as you head west on the Sourdough trail. 4 of us continued on to Frozen Lake. Lake partially melted out. A couple of larger snow crossings near lake but easy to cross. At the major intersection, we headed toward Fremont. We could see a lot of people on the Burroughs trail. The steep grade still has a large snowfield. People should take an ice axe or (at least) trekking poles and good sturdy hiking boots if this one is to be attempted. We arrived at the lookout around 12:30 to 1 PM. No other snow to speak of on trail. Had a nice lunch and basked in the sun. A lot of people at the lookout area. Not a hike if you're looking for solitude. The lookout was locked, but you can walk around the deck. We returned to the parking lot, which was now pretty full. Round trip total of a little over 8 miles. One other note, the Visitor Center at Sunrise is being gutted and remodeled and is closed all summer. The restaurant is still open. Great hike and great companionship on a great day!

We began our hike at Sunrise Point making this a 3 mile round trip hike with 856 ft elevation gain. When we first arrived at the peak, we could see Mt Baker and Glacier Peak to the North, but they soon disappeared when it appeared to be raining in the distance. The Goat Rocks and Mt Adams could be seen to the South, but views were hazy and there appeared to be smoke in the distance by Mt Adams. This was a good warming up hike for our 4 day week-end. After our hike we drove to the Sunrise Visitor Center which closed on Labor Day. The ranger told us they were going to be doing major water line repairs so the only facilities open will be the portable toilets near the backpacker's parking area.