Walked the Grove of the Patriarchs loop. Great trail, easy to walk and well marked. Did this and the Silver Falls trail. Highly recommend for a easy stroll through the park.
No views of the mountain except for the ride there.

My third time of this loop to see these giants, and no less on a very crowded Sunday at the end of the summer. Parking lot jammed. Bathrooms extremely busy and hike VERY busy.

The bridge over the river is really neat and required a little community spirit as the sign recommends one person at a time. Not that many people listen.:(

Less said about this hike and more photo's although the images don't begin to do the trees justice. :)

A pleasant little jaunt along the Ohanapecosh River to the land of the giants. We got lucky and were able to find a spot in the parking lot, but cars were lined up down the road. Restroom open and in need of a little TLC. Picnic tables available at the trailhead. Very easy trail, many families with young children and folks of all ages and abilities out and about. There are a few large puddles across the trail that some children may need help navigating, but otherwise no obstacles. Several interpretive signs along the way. Mosquitoes were surprisingly pesky. The towering trees are awe-inspiring! Overall a short, great trail for stretching your legs and learning more about our environment.

**this trip report is presented as the seventh part of a serial story; trail conditions and the like will be included in the story, as it is a trip report, after all**

The Unicorn and Hypogryff families continued their adventure at Mount Rainier by exploring the Grove of the Patriarchs.  They started their hike from Silver Falls, finding a few huckleberries on the trail. Watermelon Unicorn, 4, and Dinosaur Hypogryff, 2, enjoyed munching on those while they meandered slowing through the shade.

Past the Stevens Canyon road, a nice place to refill water bottles and use the bathroom, the trail is busier, with many people who have come for a short day hike stroll.

Lemon Unicorn, 9, enjoyed that the trail was mostly flat.  Mommy Unicorn couldn't get her to stop long enough to read the interpretive signs that tells a lot of interesting information about the plants and location.  She and Buckbeak Hypogryff, 8, ran ahead to the suspension bridge.  It's long, and wobbly, so Watermelon had to go with Mommy Unicorn, but once the initial fear was over, it was fun.

All the kids played in the river.  It was clear, and cold, with some areas of shallow entry, so that Watermelon and Dinosaur could enjoy getting their legs wet.  Lemon and Buckbeak enjoyed playing in the faster water - at least waist deep - but had to be aware of the swift current that could sweep away someone into rocks if they weren't careful.

The families strolled through the loop of large, old-growth trees.  They convinced other people to help them find out how many people it took to circle one of the large trees - 14, if they all stood (as one should) on the platforms.

Lemon Unicorn would definitely recommend this hike to other families.

We made a trip down to Mount Rainier NP and hiked the short Grove of the Patriarchs trail on Monday evening. It was not too crowded, and the big trees were fun to see. The small suspension bridge across the river is marked "recommended one person at a time," so if it is a busy weekend, that could be a while to get everyone across.

My two-year-old daughter enjoyed playing by the river and throwing some stones, but there were a few mosquitoes in the evening.

It is an easy hike, suitable for small children, and the big, old trees are very cool to see.