Mt. Rainier East Side Hikes

This forum is used to share your experiences out on the trails.
Post Reply
User avatar
drm
Posts: 6133
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm
Location: The Dalles, OR
Contact:

Mt. Rainier East Side Hikes

Post by drm » September 22nd, 2014, 6:51 pm

I car camped at the White River Campground to do some dayhikes in the area. When I arrived at 4:30pm on Friday evening, I got the last available spot in the 2 loops that were open. It was cloudy when I arrived but cleared out over night.

Sunrise on the mountain from camp
Image

On Saturday the plan was to do a loop up the Wonderland Trail to near Sunrise, connect to the Burroughs Mountain Trail up to Third Burroughs Mtn, and then down to the Glacier Basin Trail and back to camp. This worked out to be about 13 miles with a total gain of about 4000 feet.

The main climb - 2000 up from camp to the Sunrise Rim Trail in 2.8 miles - was first thing in the cool of the morning.
Image

Sunrise Rim Trail and late summer meadows and Sourdough Ridge. You can see the Sourdough Ridge trail crossing the talus on the upper right.
Image

Shadow Lake - appropriately. Sunrise camp is in the trees behind
Image

Climbing the flanks of First Burroughs Mtn, the views start to open up
Image

Looking at the Burroughs Mtn trail up Second Burroughs Mtn from the junction of the Sunrise Rim Trail and Burroughs Mtn Trail on top of First Burroughs Mtn
Image

Looking at Third Burroughs Mtn from the top of Second Burroughs Mtn. The main trail drops left down to Glacier Basin, while the informal trail climbs up. It's 400 feet down and another 800 feet up.
Image

Mt. Rainier and the Winthrop Glacier from the summit of Third Burroughs Mtn at 7828'
Image

Looking west down at Mystic Lake. The Carbon Glacier is hidden in the valley just beyond
Image

It's then 800 feet down Burroughs Mtn and another 1500 feet down to Glacier Basin. You start to get back into trees, fall colors, and Little Tahoma Peak beyond
Image

Farther down
Image

Back near camp, the Wonderland Trail crosses the White River on this bridge
Image

The next morning after breaking camp, drive up to Sunrise and head up towards Mt. Fremont Lookout, 2.8 miles one-way.

Sourdough Ridge from near the trailhead
Image

The trail is wide, popular, and dusty at this point, but looks down on more nice meadows
Image

The final section to the Mt. Fremont Lookout
Image

Image

Mt. Rainier from the lookout also shows Burroughs Mtn well. Third Burroughs Mtn is directly below the center of the summit of Rainier. Second Burroughs Mtn is the rounded summit to it's left below Tahoma. First Burroughs Mtn is the flat ridge to the left.
Image

The huge meadow of Grand Park to the west
Image

After picking up lunch at the cafeteria at Sunrise - the last day of the year it would be open, I took my lunch to the Sunrise Viewpoint, 3 miles back down the road. This is also the trailhead for the 3.5 mile trail past numerous lakes to Upper Palisade Lake. There are no views of Mt. Rainier on this trail and it starts by dropping 500 feet and has lots of short but steep ups and downs. But clouds were moving in and the forest provided welcome shade on what was turning into a very hot day.

Sunrise Lake comes first after dropping 400 feet
Image

This hike is as much if not more about meadows - it would be great a little earlier in the summer when it is more green
Image

Clover Lake is 1.5 miles in and is as far as some get as a steep up and a real steep descent comes right after
Image

Upper Dicks Lake has a backcountry camp next to it (between it and the lower lake)
Image

The trail finally flattens and opens up as you approach the Palisades area
Image

Presumably these are the Palisades that the lake is named for
Image

The lake was at a pretty low level - again would be nice to get here earlier. A couple of campsites here as well.
Image
Last edited by drm on September 22nd, 2014, 6:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
retired jerry
Posts: 14398
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm

Re: Mt. Rainier East Side Hikes

Post by retired jerry » September 22nd, 2014, 6:54 pm

I wonder if the White River bridge survives the winter and spring snow melt?

Or if they pull it?

It's not very far above the river.

That would be difficult to cross without the bridge.

User avatar
drm
Posts: 6133
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm
Location: The Dalles, OR
Contact:

Re: Mt. Rainier East Side Hikes

Post by drm » September 22nd, 2014, 6:57 pm

I'm 99% sure they pull it. If you follow the park website in early summer, they talk about "bridges being in."

It's not crossable there. You could hear boulders rolling in the water. But the river is wider elsewhere and might be crossable there.

User avatar
Splintercat
Posts: 8328
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm
Location: Portland
Contact:

Re: Mt. Rainier East Side Hikes

Post by Splintercat » September 22nd, 2014, 7:44 pm

Nice report, Dean! That's my favorite side of Rainier -- can't get enough of the Emmons Glacier. As always, you've found some lesser-traveled options among the better known spots. Thanks for posting!

Tom :)

User avatar
kepPNW
Posts: 6411
Joined: June 21st, 2012, 9:55 am
Location: Salmon Creek

Re: Mt. Rainier East Side Hikes

Post by kepPNW » September 23rd, 2014, 5:12 am

These recent reports from Rainier have me convinced I need to go spend time there. (Next summer. <sigh>)

I certainly do appreciate the inspiration, though! Thanks... :)
Karl
Back on the trail, again...

Post Reply