Mount Rainier, Washington

The Trail: With very little elevation gain, the first three miles of the trail are the easiest; the next mile up to Rachel Lake is great work out. After reaching Rachael Lake, look for the sign that says "trail" to find your way to Rampart Lakes. While there are many side trails that turn out ...

Start off at Trail #1313 to Rachel Lake. The first 2.5 miles is a flat, slow uphill hike till you get to a river crossing. From there, the next 1.3 miles will be a 1,000 foot elevation gain to Rachel Lake. Once you arrive, this is a good spot to rest, eat some snacks, and replenish your water sup...

Begin at the Rachel Lake Trailhead and fill out the registry with your individual/group information.As you start the hike heading Northwest towards the lake itself, the trail begins to steadily climb from its initial elevation of 2500 feet. Once you cross the Alpine Lake Wilderness sign, the path...

This hike is 7.4 miles roundtrip, with 2100 feet of elevation gain. Once you're on the trail, it starts heading uphill to help get your heart rate up on the hike. As you enter the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, the trail starts to level out. You'll cross a few streams and hike through a fair amount of ...

Some days you don't need to tackle a grueling summit or long mileage loop, just getting outside the city is enough. Driving forest roads is always an adventure and pays its dividend in seclusion, viewpoints, and peacefulness. The Middle Fork Snoqualmie (FR56) offers a photo enthusiast numerous pi...

Starting at the Snow Lake Trail Head you climb up the boot pack or ski track of those before you (hopefully) from ~3120 ft. to ~4400 ft. at the ridge line where Snow Lake becomes visible. If there are no tracks, follow the South Fork Snoqualmie River NE and aim just east of the lowest point of t...

For this hike, you park at the same parking lot as the Snow Lake hike. The trailhead to Snoqualmie Mountain is an unmarked trail just 30 feet or so before the Snow Lake trail. This is a tough hike even though its only a ~4 mile out and back trip because you gain 3100 feet to reach the summit. Th...

Hike or snowshoe to the ridge below Chair Peak and above Snow Lake and camp among numerous Snoqualmie Pass peaks.Drive to Snoqualmie Pass WA via I-90 and park at the Alpental parking lot (exit 52). Take the Snow Lake trail, which initially climbs 200 feet with wooden steps and eventually evens ou...

This hike shares the trailhead for Snow lake at the Alpental Ski area in Snoqualmie Pass. You'll start out with a great warm up, walking through dense green underbrush and a brief wooded area. Before too long the trail increases in inclination slightly and begins to offer up some small rocky sect...

This hike gets crowded fairly quickly so get there early. The parking lot is very large so parking is not really a problem.  There are bathrooms at the very beginning of the trail so I highly suggest using them. However at the top there is also a designated restroom area. Starting at 2600 ft, thi...

Skiers or snowshoers looking to explore this route should park in the uppermost parking area at the Alpental ski area. This lot is past the main parking lot for the ski area. After getting your gear on, you can proceed down the groomed access run heading northwest out of the parking area. This ru...

The lesser known Mt Si Rd trail starts off as a relatively flat road. This continues for two miles until you reach the Teneriffe Falls sign. Upon turning right at this junction, the terrain takes a shift and the incline steepens. This is where most of the elevation is gained. The rest of the way...

This area is a very secluded camp area, so unless it's a holiday weekend, be prepared to be alone :) It is a very quiet lake and along the roadside there are plenty of spots to hike, camp, and fish by the lake or the Cle Elum river.So bring your day hiking gear and pole as well and head out in th...

The Rattlesnake Mountain Trail is often associated with Rattlesnake Ledge, one of the busiest hiking destinations around. But most people don't know that you can continue on from Rattlesnake Ledge another 10 miles to Snoqualmie Point Park. Using the Snoqualmie Point Trailhead, this hike is a wo...

The Boundary trail is amazing. It's 54 miles long and runs for the most part along a ridge in Gifford Pinchot National Forest. You can climb various peaks and viewpoints right off the trail, but this trip report is for climbing Coldwater Peak and hiking up to Harry's Ridge Viewpoint on the way. H...

From roughly May to September, both star gazers and photographers alike travel to the darkest locations in order to capture something truly magnificent- the galactic core of the milky way. The Loowit Viewpoint is unlike any around due to the perfect combination of it's remote location, higher ele...