This is a gorgeous hike. The trail does have roots in some places but nothing bad. It was crowded today, but it is Sunday and sunny, so cant expect less. This is well worth the hike up which is pleasant with some steep hills here and there. The road up is gravel but in fairly good conditions most of the way.

This is one of the best hikes I've done so far in the PNW. The trail is so well maintained and it's incredibly hard to beat the view at the top. We arrived at 7 a.m. on a Saturday, and were we glad we got there early. There were only a few cars at the trail head when we arrived and when we left there were cars as far as the eye could see. This is a popular trail, so if you want to avoid the crowds, go early. This is also a great trail if you want an incredible view, but you don't want to have to work that hard to get there. At 7.5 miles long and only 1100 feet of elevation gain, this is a relatively easy hike. I recommend packing a lunch to eat at the top! You'll want to stay up there to admire the view for a while. Also, keep in mind that weather and visibility changes very quickly around Rainier. We were fortunate enough to be there when it was peak visibility, but by the time we hiked down you couldn't see Rainier at all from Tolmie Peak.

Got up early to hike to Eunice Lake, with the intention of heading to Tolmie Peak. I was hiking with my 6 year old daughter and family friends. The dirt road is very long (17 miles) and very bumpy. Be prepared to wash your car if the weather has been dry because it's very dusty. I drive a Kia Optima and made it just fine. The parking lot fills up extremely fast so be prepared to park and walk a ways if you get there later in the day. The trail follows the west side of the lake and gradually climbs and then gets steeper as you move away from the lake. About 2 miles in, there's a spot to check out Ipsut Pass and it's a marvelous view of the valley below. Be sure to check it out. The trail gets a bit steeper so you may need to take a break or two on the way up but there's spots to step aside if needed; although my daughter was doing just fine so we kept plugging along. Just short of one mile after that, you'll arrive at Eunice Lake. It's a gorgeous blue, crystal clear lake and a perfect spot to cool off and dip your feet. Several small trails bring you closer to the lake. We played at the lake for a while and enjoyed lunch there; no bugs! You could see Tolmie Peak lookout tower from the lake. Weather moved in so we didn't head to the top as the view of Mt. Rainier was completely covered with no end to the clouds in sight. We had a great time at the lake while we were there eating lunch and would definitely go back.

This was my first hike up to Tolmie Peak Lookout. The road up to the trail was awful...and I have a truck. I know that others have said the road is better since being graded but I struggled up this road, even fishtailed and I wasn't going more than 20-25 mph. However, once I got up the road the trail itself was very well marked and easy to follow. I looked at the weather conditions the night before and as expected the mountain was visible in the AM but by the PM it was fully covered. The trail itself is a bit of a struggle on parts due to the exposed tree roots but not overly difficult. Hiking to Eunice Lake was amazing. Reaching it and seeing where Tolmie Peak Lookout was, gave me pause. I couldn't fathom how the last part of the trail up to the lookout was only .9 miles...it looked way longer than that. The final hike to the lookout is a workout but there is one place up this last .9 miles where you can lean against a boulder and just take in the site of the lakes and the view of Mt. Rainier. Many people stopped here to take pictures. This is truly the first vantage point where you will see the mountain unobstructed. I encourage everyone to hike to the lookout and take a rest, eat a snack and just take a moment to enjoy the scenery. It was truly one of the most rewarding hikes I have ever done. Hiking back down didn't seem so bad and I was grateful for checking the weather because when I got to the top, the mountain was breathtaking and visible. By the time I made it back to my truck, the clouds had rolled in, it was considerably cooler and the mountain was not visible. Great hike, maybe a bit too much for small children.