We wanted to a little hiking when we got here. We had hiked a bunch the day before and the others in my party were not up to doing Burroughs mtns. Instead we hiked Sourdough trail out to frozen lake. First, if you have never been to Sunrise, come early as this place seems to get packed with people and cars. The drive to Sunrise was a neat drive with lots of views. And once you get to Sunrise, there are even better views of Mt. Rainier. If at all possible, come on a clear day. The view is just awesome. The trail is decent. There are many rocks in the trail so you do have to keep you eyes on the ground to step over these. This trail was also being heavily used---meaning we saw/passed dozens of people that day. On the way to Frozen Lake, the views to the north(away from Rainier) were great. You can look down into the valley below which would have been great but Rainier is definately the attention hog on this hike. We were a little disappointed when we reached Frozen Lake only to find out that it is fenced off and actually a water source for Sunrise. I think the trail might have been 1-1.5 miles each way and doable for kids. The steepest part of the trail is the very begining. After that it slopes up and down but is not steep. Also take sun protection as you are exposed to the sun most of the way. We had no problems with bugs of any kind. When you get back to Sunrise, there is a decent snack shop but be wared that the prices are pretty steep.

We had planned to hike at Mowich Lake, but got a little lost and ended up at the Sunrise entrance of Mt. Rainier. Instead we did a short loop starting at Sourdough Ridge, then down to Shadow Lake & back to the Sunrise visitor center. It was a little chilly as the clouds didn't want to dissipate. Some wildflowers were blooming, but it seemed as though we were about two weeks too late for the prime blooming time. Didn't encounter too many bugs. Saw a marmot & two chipmunks. Talked to several rangers who were really nice & knowledgeable. Trail was well maintained. We had one very short snow crossing which was fine to cross in hiking shoes. A great hike!

We introduced a good friend to the Sunrise area today. The wildflowers are spectacular! The snow patches on the Wonderland from Frozen Lake to Skyscraper are all gone now. The big snow patch on the Wonderland trail (the "back way" back to Sunrise) is still there and packed down enough to be super slippery. Because I was wearing somewhat water-proof pants, I chose to slide down! Cool temperatures and a nice breeze kept the bugs manageable.

Wow! What a day and what a hike! Got to Sunrise around 7:45 AM and was surprised to see a fair amount of cars for that hour. Picture perfect weather. Started off by hiking up to Fremont Lookout. Great views but the even in the early morning, the bugs were out. Good thing I applied the bug spray at the car. Trail to Fremont Lookout was snow-free and in good condition. Lots of wildflowers blooming as well. Next up was the Burroughs Mountain trail. Four snow patches to cross before the first Burroughs. First I did in just my boots but since I had my micro spikes, I used them on the next three snow patches. Views from the top are great. Onto second Burroughs were the views were even better! Two snow patches to cross but they were do-able in just boots. Views at the top were fabulous -- there's even a nice rock chair to relax in and soak up the views. A group of three continuing on the Burroughs trail alerted me to some mountain goats down below. Hiked back down and took the Sunrise rim trail back to Sunrise. Parking lot was jammed, backed up to park. The park entrance was packed, too. Almost a half mile traffic jam to get into the park. Had a blast on the trail today!!!

Path: Sunrise Visitor Center - NE to Sourdough Ridge (0.3) - follow Sourdough Ridge / Fremont Lookout trail to Frozen Lake (1.5) - follow Wonderland Trail back to Sunrise Visitor Center, skipping shadow lake (1.4). The flowers are beginning to bloom, but full bloom is not for another two weeks. There were no bugs until near frozen lake. This 3-mile-loop is an easy half day hike with outstanding scenery, fit for families. You remain above the treeline for most of the hike. There are only two relative steep sections on this loop, the initial hike up to Sourdough Ridge and when you first step on Wonderland trail from Frozen Lake. Sourdough Ridge has an expansive unobstructed view of Mt Rainier. There are still patches of snow on the trail, covering about 50 ft of trail. The excellent view continues on the flat section of Fremont Lookout Trail to Frozen Lake. Return route from Frozen Lake is the toughest part, as soon as you step onto Wonderland Trail, there are two big snow patches, each covering about 200? feet of trail, on relative steep descent.