Stunning but warm day with some snow fields and goats! We felt very comfortable on the snow with poles and spikes but there are some areas with big drop-offs. 

Warning: Our day started out eventfully with a woman collapsed on the side of the trail about 1.5 mile in. We spoke with her family, got her to a shady area, gave them some electrolytes and food, and stayed with her until she seemed to be doing better. Another passing hiker on their way alerted the rangers. We learned later that she had to be carried out by the rangers but was ok. They also said they had to do a couple other evacuations today, all due people not being prepared. :-( 

Road/Parking: Paved all the way with a couple of pull outs for great views. We entered with our reservation around 8:30 and got a spot at Sunrise. There were a decent amount of spots but not a ton. When we left around 3 same situation except there was a huge line at the gate so I can't imagine all of the got spots unless a lot of people left. 

Trail: Great! Went out on the Sunrise Rim and back on the Sourdough Rim, clockwise per the ranger's suggestion due to give the snow on the northern slops time to soften. Started out partially shaded for the first mile or two, then almost no shade for the rest. lots of wildflowers out between the snow patches. The first snow field was angled with a bad slope if you slip so some of us put on spikes and some scrambled on the rocks above. The following ones were easy with no consequences so we didn't even both with spikes. Lots of summit climbers on their way up to camp today. Views from the third were def the best, totally unobstructed. We caught an entire herd of mountain goats on our way back including some babies. The snow above Frozen Lake was the sketchiest looking but pretty flat trail with just a few rocks making for funny steps. Another no slip area but not too bad. From the lake down there were lots of rangers. It got busy from here back and there was almost no shade. 

Stats: 9.6 miles, 2280 ft elevation gain/loss, 5.75 hours total, 4.75 moving. We are moderate paced hikers who hike weekly year round. 

I started on the Dege Peak trail from the Sunrise parking lot. Then hit snow. The early patches were not hard to cross, but then I hit a patch that would require going off trail up loose soil, which would totally wreck the burgeoning wildflowers. Plus, I could only see that the snow would be a ridge that did not look safe. I turned back. If Dege Peak is your destination, past trip reports make it sound like starting from the small lot where you can take the epic Palisades Lakes trail is the way to go. I came back up the Sourdough Ridge trail, but not on purpose. Snow turns me around. There was snow on that trail too. The big wildflower show is not ready yet, so I'd say give these two hikes a week or so for the snow to melt so you can protect the vegetation.

I hit Fremont afterwards. The trail is dry and mostly snow free and almost entirely in the sun. 76 degrees with no clouds felt hot. There are a couple patches early on that looked manageable for all. There's a longer patch right before the lookout, but it's avoidable without hurting the terrain (look where you step). This trail has steep drop offs and sections with loose rock. I saw all ages, abilities, and preparedness this morning. Wildflowers dot the landscape here and there, but nothing show stopping yet. When you take the right turn up toward Fremont Lookout by the lake, you can see stretches of snow on the Burroughs trail that looks scary as heck. I'm going to give that one time for the snow to melt too. 

If you're looking for something family friendly, I recommend Sheep Lake and Silver Falls Loop. 

On 7/8/2024 we took an early hike to Fremont Lookout to see the sunrise and beat the heat.  We arrived at the parking lot at 3:10am and headed out. The restrooms were is rough shape and badly needed cleaning.  Few people were on the trails except for a few sleep-deprived photographers.

Sourdough Ridge Trail was in great shape and only a few easy-to-cross snow banks remained.  About an hour later we arrived at the lookout and joined two other people.  Once the sun rose we returned and took a short out/back detour onto the Wonderland down into Berkeley Park. We love that area and the flowers were beautiful.

Back at the Fremont / Wonderland junction the plan was to take the Wonderland Tr back to the Sunrise VC via Shadow Lake, However, almost immediately there was a very steep snow-bank with little run-out that we decided not to risk and returned via the Sourdough Tr..  

We also hiked down to the Silver Forest trail and Emmons Glacier View.  

The bugs were not a problem and the weather was warming quickly.  

On a last minute whim, I checked the Recreation.gov website on Thursday night and scored a 7AM-9AM entry permit for Sunrise. My hiking buddy and I arrived at the gate around 7:30AM the next day, and were surprised to see only one car ahead of us. I'm unsure if this was the permitting system at work, or people missing/adjusting their arrival time due to the holiday. Parking was easy, but we were swarmed by bugs almost as soon as we got out of the vehicle. Multiple, judicious sprays of bug spray finally knocked them back, but we were both getting fly-bys the entire time we were out.

The trail out of Sunrise was clear, but we hit the first big snowfield on the way to Dege almost immediately. It's still visible from the parking lot, but we wanted to scope it out regardless. At the time, it was about 8' tall, with boot tracks kicked in at a tight angle. The major issue we had was snow integrity, though. There was a lot of melt out underneath, and even at around 8AM, we were already sinking in on almost every step. There were more snowfields than clear trail and neither of us was feeling it without gaiters, so we decided to bag it and head back down on Sourdough Ridge. It was similar here, with lots of mushy snow to cross. Give it a few more days in this heat with more people breaking it down, and I'm sure it'll no longer be an issue. Based on the trip report from Jworthi1, Dege looks clear from the Palisades trail, so that might be a good alternative in the interim.

Braved a very difficult-to-navigate trail for the massive payoff of having Sunrise and the entirety of Yakima Park to myself for a glorious hour and a half on a bluebird Friday before the AR rolled in for the weekend.

The Wonderland from White River to Sunrise is predictably challenging to navigate. The first mile is in somewhat surprisingly decent shape with just a few blow-downs, but the rest consists of a faint and frequently disappearing boot pack on inconsistently packed snow and a couple of sketchy creek crossings, with a particularly gnarly crossing under a waterfall as you start to break into the subalpine. I went as quickly as possible here. It won’t hold up much longer. There’s a bridge under the snow, but who knows where it is.

On the upper section of the Wonderland before the Sunrise Rim, where the snow has been more sun-exposed, it’s easy to post-hole, particularly near trees. I sunk into my waist a few times.

From the junction with the rim trail, it was breaking fresh trail in soft snow, but the post-hole depth was consistently about a foot deep.

There were a few tracks in the snow-covered Sunrise parking lot, but not a soul there. Maybe 4-5 feet of snow left in the lot (it came up to the cleat on the flagpole), with more around the Visitor Center and Blockhouses where it has slid off the roofs.

After exploring around the Visitor Center and Blockhouses, I went up to Sourdough Ridge, peeking over for a view of Glacier Peak, then did a snow-covered variant of the Sunrise Nature Trail. I had lunch on the ridge and enjoyed the view before trudging back down to Sunrise while wishing I had my skis for just a minute (though also realizing also the burden they would have been for the limited reward).

I almost shed a tear when I left realizing how unique an experience it was to be there alone in that moment when I know how much of a zoo it will be so very soon. I didn’t want to leave, but post-holed down to the Emmons Vistas before going back down the Wonderland.

This is a challenging endeavor, but would be a fun option for experienced route finders when the next weather window pops up in a few days, but definitely be very cautious around those creek crossings.

There were sections of this trail I thought about putting on my gaiters and crampons, but never did. Snowshoes would be handy in spots too, particularly up at Sunrise. My waterproof boots were soaked from all of the post-holing by the end, but hey, they’ll dry, and that’s why you keep a pair of comfy shoes and socks in the car for when you get back.