Easily one of the best hikes I've done. It's only about 3 miles to the lookout tower and it's pretty easy for the first two miles. The last stretch will give you a good workout since it's a straight climb to the top (about 700 feet). You'll see a sign on your left that says Tolmie Peak as you're driving up the road. Park there to start your hike. The trail goes along Mowich Lake and you'll hit Eunice Lake at around the 2 mile mark. Stop here for some photos as you can see the lookout tower above! As you're climbing up this last stretch, you'll emerge out of the forest and you will be reward with a magnificent view of Eunice Lake and Mt. Rainier on your right. Take your photos here because this is honestly the best view. After that, keep pushing the incline and you'll eventually get to the tower. Chill, relax, eat your lunch, and hang out at the tower and enjoy the view and breeze before you head back down. I was fortunate enough to get to the top before the heavy fog rolled in that day. I could barely see 100 feet in front of me as I was getting back to my car.

Loved this hike! Too many clouds were rolling in when we got to the top so we didn't get to see Mt. Rainier, but the views were still good. The hike starts out fairly level along Mowich Lake so it gives you time to warm up. The incline was a combination of up and down, with just a few sections that were steep....until you get to the last leg up to the tower. But it wasn't that bad. I also like the variety....forest, lakes, views. Tons of ripe huckleberries on this hike. Some purple flowers. Not many bugs, just a section of flies near Lake Eunice. The only downfall is getting there...the dirt road gets a little tiresome. But I would do it again on a sunny day!

We did this on Labor day. Busy hike! I must warn, the road getting there is horrible. We were on a gravelly bumpy road for over 40 minutes to get to the hike. With that being said, I would still do this hike again. The road is horrible (unless you have a truck/4wheel drive-which we don’t). I actually picked this hike because we hiked the day before and I saw 1000 elevation thinking it was going to be easy. It was actually fairly steep. The first 1.5 miles is very easy and flat and then you go downhill. After the downhill it is mainly all uphill from there and steep! Unfortunately, we didn't get the best views of the mountain on this day because it was very cloudy. I will absolutely go back on a clear day to see the mountain. Lots of huckleberries along the way. We stopped at the lake on the way up and that lake sure is beautiful. Had a great time!

The hikes from Mowich Lake are some of the best at Mt. Rainier and the one to Tolmie Peak is a winner. Instead of starting from the trailhead on the Mowich Lake Road, we began at Mowich Lake Campground (look for the sign near the lake). This added just a short distance to the hike and gave us a beautiful walk along the lakeshore. Berries are ripe now and wildflowers are still in bloom. Bugs are also out in full force, making long sleeves and long pants a good idea. My gadget tells me this hike was 6.4 miles.

Amazing, and absolutely worth that last mile huff'n'puff. The road is gravel and rock to get in, but well-kept, just bumpy. Took my kids (10 and 6), and two less-seasoned hikers. Hydration is necessary, but the flowers, lakes and view from the lookout is solid gold, even when cloudy. This was a wonderful day outing with the family, the trail was well-maintained and challenging, and there weren't a lot of other people. NOTE: The distance conflicts at every site/guidebook I looked at. The map at Rainier Nat'l said that it was just a touch over 5 miles round trip.