We arrived at the trailhead at 7AM, from the beginning you see Mowich Lake, and the top of Rainier reflecting on it. What a start!

The trail starts going down (it means you will have to finish the trail going up - save some energy to the end), but soon you will hike up and get many flat stretches. While under the trees you will see a few glimpses of Rainier, such a treat, and it keeps getting better.

At about 1.5 miles you will see a water fall on your left. It's small, but worth going a bit out of your way to see it. There are wild flowers around and patches of snow, but they are easy to cross. 

Eventually you can see Eunice Lake and the lookout, at least my impression was that it was too far away, but it was just a mile to get there. As you go up, Rainier becomes giant, it's unbelievable beautiful.

Because we got there early, we got the lookout for us and just two other people. It was so peaceful. You can also do some scrambling to the nearby peak, you can almost see a trail to get there, but be cautious, it's a ridge, so a fall could be serious.  

I had my lunch with a great view and great friends. This trail is worth every step!

What better way to spend Independence Day than in a national park? 

I got a late start to the day and didn't reach the trailhead until after 1pm. The parking lot at the Mowich Lake campground was completely full and cars were lined up along the road, but as long as you don't mind a little extra walking it shouldn't be a problem.

The road to Mowich Lake is in good condition and almost entirely pothole-free; my sedan handled it just fine. If there are any cars in front of you they're going to kick up a lot of dust though, which made for some very low-visibility stretches. There are some tight turns, so when in doubt, take it slow.

The trail has quite a few elevation gains and losses prior to reaching the peak itself, which I thought made it a little easier than a straight uphill battle. There's still some snow on the trail around Eunice Lake, mostly tightly packed and easily navigated. The mud, on the other hand, is a little tougher to avoid. Thankfully, most of the trail is dry.  

When you reach the summit you're treated to a spectacular view. Rainier and Eunice Lake below are obviously breathtaking, but it was clear enough today that you could see Mount St. Helens to the south, Puget Sound and the Olympics to the west, and Baker to the north. Simply awesome. 

On the way back down I took a very short spur to check out a waterfall that can be heard from the main trail. Cool (and refreshing) place to spend a couple minutes.

The bees were out in force today, and I would have preferred they weren't buzzing me quite as much as they were, but that's a minor complaint to get a view like that. There were also a number of people with dogs, despite the "no pets" notice at the trailhead, but that's certainly not an issue isolated to this trail. 

Definitely one of my favorite Rainier hikes!

Arrived and parked next to the trail head around 7:30am. The hike started off cool because of the tree covers. Do note there is a pass where we had to go down, then back up towards the look out. The switchbacks up to the look out were not too steep, or it was because we stopped and admire the view quite a few times. Wildflowers are starting to bloom, bear grass and glacier lilies dot the hill side.With snow patches melting, there will be stretches (not too many) where you'll be walking through mud)