This hike is a family favorite, and it was beautiful today in spite of the smoke/smog. The poor air quality did slow us down a little bit. We encountered about a dozen other hikers on the trail, and the lookout itself was fairly quiet. There are still a few wildflowers and berries to be seen, and some trees are just starting to change color. Bugs are present but very tolerable. Weather permitting, I'd like to go back in October.

Hiked from 10AM to 3PM. Distance from trailhead to Tolmie Peak is closer to 3.3 miles one-way due to detour around fallen trees. BEWARE OF BUGS! Swarms of mosquitos and black flies resulted in bites for our entire party (average 20 bites per person). Would recommend wearing deet (fyi not safe for synthetic clothes) as well as eating garlic, sage, rosemary to prevent being bitten. Bring long sleeve clothing too just in case.

I had been wanting to get this hike in ever since seeing the fire lookout after going up to Spray Park earlier in July. Also it felt like it’d be an easier challenge then Granite Mountain, which the wife and I did a week prior. After getting off work at about 2 AM in the morning, I got home, caught a few ZZZZ’s and then we left the Olympia area at around 7:30. We got to the Trailhead at about 9:30, with an already busy amount of cars. I was grinding my teeth about spending a day hiking with a bunch of other people, but fortunately, most were headed to the trailhead to Spray Park, etc. The hike begins along Mowich Lake and through some great Old Growth. After dropping down a few hundred vertical feet, you head up towards Lake Eunice. As we got closer to the Lake, we started to notice a smattering of bugs. By the time you hit the lake, you are being attacked by formations of Mosquitos! Fortunately, we were prepared but they were swarming pretty heavily when you stopped for any amount of time. After basically sprinting past the lake, we headed up the final leg to the summit of Tolmie. Spectacular views were our reward but the mosquitos were even worse up there! Any bit of skin that was showing and not treated to some repellent was attacked. I ended up taking a “stroll” along the ridge that curves SE of the fire lookout. Managed with some scrambling to get to the peak on the far left of this ridge. Was a nice drop off to the lake below but was a fun little adventure. As with Granite Mountain, we returned to a zoo. Cars lined the road for upwards of a mile from the parking lot! Once again, earlier is better!

This was DTR's first trip to Tolmie Peak. We camped at Mowich the night before so we could get a relatively early start on our day. We are glad we did, the line of parked cars pushed half a mile out of the Mowich campground on the way out. We could not ask for better weather, not a cloud in the sky and in mid 70's. The family needed to stop for a water break once we got to serene Lake Eunice. This gave us plenty of time to tale about the 8 deer that were counted grazing in the hills. We didn't stop for too long because the mammoth size bugs began attacking us in military style. The final mile up the hill to the lookout shack was amazing. The views became more drastic over looking the lake with Rainier in the backdrop and seeing the prize at the top of the hill. gs Once at the lookout we encountered an overly friendly Chipmunk, a brave Grouse and many more swarms of biting horsefly's and other annoying bugs, but they were an acceptable price to pay for this amazing spot in MRNP.

The second half of my day hiking doubleheader from Mowich Lake found me on the trail to Tolmie Peak about 4 PM. The trail is in fine condition and begins with a charming meander along the lake. Make sure to begin the hike from the campground rather than the road to lengthen the walk along the shoreline. Too soon, the trail leaves the shore, goes up and down a bump, and shortly begins a fairly gentle climb toward Ipsut Pass. When you arrive at a junction, the route goes left. First, go right 200 feet to the pass, with views down the valley and a close look at what must be some of the shortest switchbacks around. Returning to the junction, the trail drops from Ipsut Pass and then regains the elevation and more as it climbs shortly and steeply to Eunice Lake. Some flowers are still in bright bloom, and the heather is looking pretty as well. The lake is one of the nicest in the Park, and it's a great destination on its own. However... Even though Rainier is visible through the trees, far better views await from Tolmie Peak. The trail, slashing along the side of the peak, looks intimidating but is actually not as steep as some of the stretches below Eunice lake. And, when you reach the fire lookout sitting atop Tolmie, Rainier is stunningly on its doorstep. Look straight down to Eunice, and around and around again. This is a terrific hike. I only saw two people once I left the Mowich lakeshore, and my impression is that Tolmie is generally much less crowded than the neighboring Spray Park trail. And, as far as route issues are concerned, the only condition to report is beauty.