beautiful views, easy enough that my three year old walked the whole thing

We arrived at the trailhead around 11am. There was still parking in the big lot. If you are directionally challenged, there is a helpful sign added to the loop trail sign from the Tipsoo Lake parking lot. The loop trail sign of the road will lead you in the counter clockwise direction (no helpful add-on sign there). There were still plenty of lupin and a few other kinds of wildflowers dotting the fields, especially on the north and east sides. It is nearing the end though, so hurry if you want to see them before the fall foliage starts.

It's no wonder this trail is popular. The views are spectacular and the path not too challenging but a hike vs a nature walk. I can't imagine trying to enjoy it on a crowded weekend though. Def try to go during the week or, as others have said, super early or later in the day if a weekend is the only time you can make it.

Mt Rainier was cloud covered but I can imagine how spectacular it must be when it's visible. Looking forward to returning! 

We hiked clockwise.  Started around 10 am.  Plenty of parking then in the big lot.  Have included track and profile from CalTopo.  Nice day although Mt Rainier was mostly hidden by clouds.

We seemed to have lost the trail at some point before taking a pretty steep climb up.  Unfortunately had to do some offtrail or minimal trail til we found it again on the other side of a flat.  Wildflowers still out some but fading.  Beautiful day, nice temperature, no bugs, minimal people on the trail.

Reminder that dogs are not allowed inside Mt Rainier National Park and please stay on trail to preserve and protect the meadows and the lake shore! NPS Site

Ever since moving to Washington and discovering the beauty of their forests and alpine lakes, Naches Peak Loop has been on my bucket list! I'm happy to say I can cross it off now. But I will be back time and time again to do this delightful, breathtaking hike.

To beat the crowds, we left from Seattle to arrive at Tipsoo Lake Parking Lot at 9ish am. Most of the lot was empty! I recommend bringing toilet paper with you, just in case. The weather was predicted to be mostly sunny with a high of 64. 

We started clockwise from Tipsoo Lake. The path will loop you around the lake and then take you uphill until leveling out. The trail itself is very well maintained and easy to handle. I saw a lot of off-trail paths on the way, as well as a section of meadow that was trodden on and crushed flowers. We saw a few people take a step off the trail onto the meadow just to get a better picture. Trust me, it is not worth it for the long-term damage inflicted on this delicate environment. I believe we have already caused a lot of harm to this world; let's do our best to preserve and protect what still exists.

I lack words to capture and describe the beauty I saw during this hike. We saw a river of Lupine, Aster, Paintbrush and Monkeyflower washing over the meadow. I highly, highly recommend downloading the Mount Rainier Wildflower bulletin to identify the plethora of flowers you will see along this hike! We met so many friendly people on this early morning hike :)

About 2 miles in, we took a detour down to Dewey Lake to extend the hike and have lunch! Before you go down to Dewey, there is a viewpoint on Naches Loop Trail overlooking these lakes. Gives you an idea of how far down you're going! I think it was a pretty moderate hike with a steady incline/decline. The bugs are pretty bad in some parts near the lake but when we stopped to sit and eat, we didn't have an issue. The view was so serene and peaceful. A nice pause from the bustle of Loop trail.

After an hour or so, we headed back up to finish the loop. Mount Rainier was shy today and hid behind the clouds, but that did not detract from this beautiful hike; it only added to mystery and grandiosity of the mountain.