My husband and two kids ages 4&7 and my self were at the trail head by 7 am and there was already 6 cars. I was shocked but not as much as I was later. The trail was quite full of roots and rocks. Not horrible or impassable by any stretch. Just annoying. The trail was rolling up and down, switchbacks down and up until we break out of tree line and see Eunice lake. The mountain pops out and oh man the fire look out comes in to clear view. A few switchbacks and we are on the top. We arrived surprised to see someone with a dog in the national park. It should have been a hint of the amount of rudeness to come. After the first batch of people cleared I had the top to my self for a good 5 mins. It was beautiful and peaceful. On the way down I have never in my entire 15 year hiking experience seen so many people on the trail. The amount of people was suffocating. Helpful tips for this trail: If solitude is what you want, go at night. Prepare for hordes of boom box playing, trail hogging, dog walking PEOPLE! Next the bridge on the way up before you turn to go on the mowich lake road is ONE LANE! If you seea car, wait. Also the gravel road is two lanes! Please for the love of all things pure and good in the world stay on your side, twice my husband almost drove us off the road to avoid a head on collision. Next get there early if you want to park near the trail head. I have never seen so many cars in my life! On the side of the mowich lake road. And finally the national parks are pet free for trails. The person I saw first really had no idea and was clear to change for her next trip. The rest, not so much. It's against the law and quite frustrating.

I was discouraged to bring my little Nissan Versa up to Tolmie Peak but had no issues at all! Starting at the fork in the road to Mowich Lake, it's 11 miles to the pay station. Rocky and bumpy but few potholes. I cruised along at about 20-30mph no problem. The dirt can reduce visibility so make sure to have your headlights on and keep some distance between you and the car in front of you. Bring cash ($25) if you don't have a park pass and stop to pay at the TH for Paul Peak. Continue on your way a couple more miles to the Tolmie Peak trailhead. I got a late start and arrived around 2:30pm. Although the line of cars parked on the road is long, I had no problem finding an open spot near the TH since many people had already came and gone since the morning. I didn't see anyone else on the trail going up until I got to Eunice Lake. Just lots of people heading down. Later in the day is nice in that way. You most definitely have to make the final push to the fire lookout. It's so worth it! The best view of Mount Rainier I've ever seen! I got to the top and was welcomed with about 20-25 people. Everyone was super friendly and willing to take photos for one another which I appreciated as I was solo. I spent a good 40 minutes at the top, not wanting to ever leave. This hike took me about 1 hour 40 minutes up and 1 hour 10 minutes on the way down since you have some elevation gain on the way down. Bugs were annoying but I didn't feel the need to use bug spray.