There were thin, high clouds in the sky as we left our home to visit Mt. Rainier. It looked to be a perfect day for a return visit to Mt. Rainier National Park. It had been two years since our last visit. This time we were going to a part of the park we had never visited before, Sunrise.
The Sunrise area is on the northeast side of the park. There are three main parts to the Sunrise region. First is the White River Campground. Then there is Sunrise Point and finally the main Sunrise Visitor Center.
As we were headed for the park driving from Auburn to Enumclaw, Mt. Rainier was actually quite visible. The area around it looked fairly clear, and we could see the peak. Above the peak was a small round cloud. It reminded me of a halo. I was feeling hopeful that we would get a good view of the mountain.
The Sunrise/White River exit is not the most visible so one really needs to watch for the sign. Once we were on the exit, it was a little ways before we arrived at the entrance booth with its fees. Fortunately the line was just a few cars, and we were able to move through pretty quickly.
Our first stop was the White River Campground. Besides the camping sites, there is a parking lot for picnickers or hikers in the area. It’s a beautiful, peaceful camping area especially if you have a view of the river. The campground seemed pretty full when we visited.
Walking along the edge of the wide White River basin, we did get a view of the base of Mt. Rainier. However, the peak was not completely visible. We then decided to hike part way up the Glacier Basin trail. There was a sign indicating that after about a mile there was a side trail to see the main glacier on Mt. Rainier.
The Glacier Basin Trail is fairly easy to hike. It definitely climbs, but it is not too steep. Most of the trail is shaded, but we had dappled sunlight coming through the trees. Along the right side of the trail there would occasionally be small water falls coming down the mountain side with bridges on the path to cross over. There were also some interesting plants along the way.
The trail follows the contour of the White River, but it is not always close to the edge. However, occasionally we would be able to catch a view of the river and beyond including the base of Mt Rainier.
We finally came to the trail that went to the glacier viewpoint. However, we didn’t go very far on it. The trail crossed the river, and there was basically a log with a rail on one side only to cross the river. On the other side of the river was a very narrow looking trail that zigzagged up the side of the cliff. We were just not comfortable taking that trail so we turned around and returned back to the campground.
From the campground we drove up to the Sunrise Visitor Center. Unfortunately for us, there was road construction going on so we were delayed some going up. As we finally continued on, I was surprised at how high up we drove. When we arrived at the center, the air was definitely cooler than at the campground.
The visitor center has a lodge, a gift shop, and lots of parking. As we approached the center the terrain opened up, and I finally saw the meadows of wild flowers I had hoped to see on our previous trip up to the mountain. While the meadows were not really colorful, one could see a lot of blue and purple, blue lupine and purple aster. Walking closer, I found the bear grass quite intriguing. They looked like someone was having a bad hair day.
We took a short hike here, just to get a view of Emmons Glacier which is the largest glacier in the lower 48 states. By now the clouds had descended over Mt. Rainier, and from our view point the peak was nowhere in sight. We saw the glacier but not the mountain.
Overall the terrain near the Sunrise Center was different. we were up high, and the trees were starting to thin out. Because of this the meadows stretched out around the center. It was much more open.
From the visitor center we drove back down a short way to Sunrise Point. This really is a point as the road takes a hairpin turn here. There is a fairly large parking lot here so one can get out and hike or check out the views. The views of the mountain ranges around are spectacular, and one can even see Mt. Adam in the far off distance. Unfortunately Mt. Rainier remained in hiding from our angle, and we could see nothing of the peak.
We stopped here because I wanted to hike down to Sunrise Lake. We could look down and see the lake from the view point. It looked a long ways down. However, it was only described as a half mile hike so we went ahead and began our descent. And descend we did. It was a steep and fairly narrow trail. The biggest challenge was the rocks in the path. The rock outcroppings could easily be tripping points so we had to keep our eyes on the path in front of us. I have to admit I was nervous in places. Going down was hard on my knees and feet, but coming back up was just tiring. I plodded along as my own pace trying to keep a consistent speed, and eventually we made it out, tired and sore. We certainly had our exercise for the day.
We didn’t hike all the way to the edge of the lake, but got fairly close. This particular trail continues on for some distance, but it is a challenging hike because of its change in elevation.
By the time we got back to Sunrise Point, it was late afternoon, and the parking lot was clearing out so we began our journey home. While we had enjoyed the sites of the area, it was another disappointing experience viewing Mt. Rainier. We had seen her at the beginning of the day, but after that she had hidden behind the clouds.
When we got back down to Enumclaw, we were able to look up and see Mt. Rainier. There she was, fully visible. How frustrating. Apparently we had tried to look through a layer of clouds around the base of the mountain, and couldn’t see the peak above. However, from a distance the peak was clearly visible.
To add insult to injury, as we were driving home on the freeway, we got another look at the lady. The sun had begun to set, and she was now beautifully adorned with a slight pink blush over her snowy regions. Of course I couldn’t stop to take a photo from the freeway. Next time, dear Lady, I will get a photo of all your beauty.
Have you ever been disappointed by a place you visited? Was your experience hampered by bad weather, bad traffic, or big crowds. Be sure to share your experience in the comment section below, and don’t forget to subscribe.
Great entry to the travel blog. I was struck at how similar some of these pictures are to the area around Mt. St. Helen’s and its a sobering reminder of Rainier’s extremely volatile past…and future.
My wife said recently we need to go back and visit Mt. St. Helens. It’s been quite a while. Yes, the risk is always there of an eruption as they are considered still active.