We enjoyed this trail because it followed the river, and had easy access to get into the water and cool off a little. Then there was a short suspension bridge which was really fun to cross, then the boardwalk leading around the great old trees. The trees here are large and old, and very impressive. Several have been downed by storms which allows a closer look and a better sense of their size and scale. This was a nice short hike. A few mosquitoes but not too bad.

My step father’s 75th birthday was this week! And as hard as it may be to believe he has never been to Rainier! We packed the van with wilderness newbies at nine in Seattle and headed south. The Paradise parking lot was packed with folks buzzing about making sandwiches and plans. Several of our group had never been to Washington before much less Rainier. Once they spied the wild flowers they were off like a shot. Myrtle Falls was the perfect turn around for our family. Dozens of wildflowers, a deer and her fawn, waterfalls cascading left and right. Our next stop was Reflection Lake. Out came the folding table, a few chairs, and the cooler. We had spectacular views of Rainier to the north and the Tatoosh Range to the south . Back in the van we piled and eastward we traveled. Down past the Cowlitz Divide we traveled to the lush and cool ‘Grove of the Patriarchs’. The parking lot was once again full but the trail was never crowded. Just a constant coming and going through this immense grove of trees that reach near 1000 years old. A swing bridge and an idyllic river to soak tired feet in was a great end to our day. I fired up coffees while the family piled into the van to get back to Seattle. 10 hours RT, too much scenery, and 9 happy campers.

This is a great hike for the kids we took with us today ages 3 & 6 years old. The trail was nice and dry. we saw some chipmunks & stellar blue jays even though the trail was rather busy it was still a peaceful hike. http://our-hiking-adventures.blogspot.com/2014/06/grove-of-patriarchs-loop.html

Light rain, trail was in good shape, trees where very impressive, if your in the Rainer area, dont miss this.

All trails are clear of snow. The Stevens Canyon/Ohanapecosh entrance is now open. We parked at the Stevens Canyon entrance and did the Patriarchs first and then the Silver Falls loop along with a short side trail to the Hot Springs. Although it's a 3 day weekend, the Ohanapecosh campground was not very crowded. We found several hiking families along the the 3 trails. My gps read 969 ft of gain in 6.6 miles. Happy hiking.