The lake is indeed beautiful and much larger than I expected. The last part of the hike from the saddle down to the lake was slow going. The trail was muddy due to recent rain and a falling mist. One in my party wasn't wearing hiking boots and had a difficult time of it. There were a few small patches …
We saw the Paradise parking lot and decided that wasn't where we wanted to be, so thank goodness we found this hike! All we were going by was the park map given at the entrance, with little in the way of topographic clues, but this was a perfect early-season hike (mid-June 2005 = little snow). Rainier was mostly shrouded in …
This is a good hike to get your legs in shape for the summer hiking season, but not for a bit of solitude in the woods. I arrived at around noon on Wendsday, July 15 and observed 30 cars at the trail head. The trip took me about four hours round trip including a nice chat with a woman who …
Very nice trip report. You suggested that it might be possible to connect Gem Lake to the Melakwa Lake trail, and I just wanted to tell you I did just that a week ago. The entire trip from Snow Lake TH to Denny Creek TH is about 12 miles, nearly the same as this Wright Mtn hike that you have …
My wife and I have made the climb several times this spring as an alternative to Mt. Si as a conditioning hike. There is very little comparison between the two. Mailbox is steep, lightly built (trailwise) and relatively lightly used. Our hike last weekend was rainy, wet, muddy, and snowy at the top. We were the first to the top …
Was up at Gothic on Saturday June 11. Very wet day, with some sleet at the top. At this point in time there is still a fair bit of snow towards the top of the trail, with some traverses through snow required. Some trees are down in places on the trail. Despite the wet weather it was still a very …
This was my first day hike ever and it was great. I just got back and I'm a little sore but not bad. Took about 4hrs 45min up including 45min worth of lunch and breaks on the way up (yay for breaks). The weather wasn't that bad, showers off and on but while it was clear there were some awsome …
We went on Memorial day. This was a really great hike through beautiful old growth forest. There are several waterfalls along the trail. The trail is rocky for at least a 1/2 mile towards the end of the trail. It does get a bit chilly at the top, so I would reccommend bringing a sweatshirt or vest. The lake at …
Hi, I decided to take this trail on 28th May 2005 and my collegue went up to Camp Muir. Unfortunenatly we both forgot the sunsceen... So I hiked up from the east to Panorama point with snow on the trail. We both startet at 1045 am and I reached Panorama at 1420 for a short lunch. The view was fantastic …
I went to Talapus Lake and Ollalie this weekend and was pretty disappointed. The hike itself was fine - nice trails, not too many people but the lakes were UGH! At Talapus, there isn't even a place to sit next to the lake - you need to scale logs and try to find a suitable one to sit on. Very …
My wife and I hiked this with our two boys (ages 1 and 3) on our backs on Memorial Day 2005. The trail was very busy (probably due to the holiday) but in good shape. We enjoyed the walk and our 3-year old loved the falls. If you're there for the scenery and start from the West, turn back around …
Hiked up on may 28th. Very nice hike i like the switchbacks. The hike is alot better than mt. SI. Amazing views at the top and alot less snow then march 11th when i did it last. After i finished i worked a 6pm to 2am. I am still recovering.
this is a really good hike, lots of greens all around and the trail is covered with trees. after the first mile or two the trail becomes really steep quickly and stays steep until the end. we were not able to get a view of the lake, as the fog took over the whole lake!! but even then i'd still …
Great hike. The snow has melted from the trail, I wore shorts and a t-shirt and was fine. Started the hike at 8:30am ish and reached the fire lookout at about 10:45. The view from the top was amazing, well worth the effort of getting there. The trail was almost empty on the way up, i only saw one person …
this hike's got good views :-) especially if you like water and waterfalls. lots of traffic, we encountered many people doing up and down. not really a hard hike, but there are some steep parts and you can get a good workout out of it. definitely go all the way up to the upper fall. it only took us 2 …
With high temperatures and clear skies in the forecast, I took my chances with this hike so early in the season. Road 2680 is a little rough for a low clearance vehicle, but it is in good condition. It was a gorgeous day for this hike. The forest makes for a nice warm-up and the views are outstanding past the …
The view at the top was one of the best. It looks like you are on one of the tallest peaks around. The weather helped as well. There was not a cloud in the sky and the air was crystal clear. I debated climbing the rock scramble to the summit at the very end. It is not vertical by any …
Really boring. Maybe if you got a bunch of little kids take them to this one. i got really bored and it turned in to climbing for exercise. the falls aren't even that cool. what's up with the $5.oo fee, that's why i bought a pass. i would never do this one again. I would rather find some mt. YOU …
Walked up casually on may 20th. Very easy hike. I love at the end when it opens wide up and their is two long switchbacks. Started dumping on me when i reached the lake. Ran all the way down. A nice hike, i wonder why Heather feels so much longer. I can't wait for the summer so I can do …
My brother was visiting from the East Coast and we were eager to hit the trail. The morning drive up on I-5 from Seattle was pleasant enough and the backroads, especially Mtn. Loop Rd. provided a nice transition "into the wild". The folks at the Verlot Ranger Station were super helpful and very enthusiastic -- great ambassadors. From the moment …
I left Edmonds at about 7am. 66 miles exact from my driveway. I drove. It was a perfect day. as soon as you cant see the road any more it is just beutiful. The Forest begins to look so green it's really phenominal. I have been doing East I-90 hikes lately, so this was such an awesome change. so much …
What a fantastically steep hike... There is no let up until very near the top, then a 100' stretch thats pretty steep... It was foggy the day I went, so we had no view at all, but it was really peacefully quite through all the mist... The scramble to the top is not bad at all... There was a lot …
Got to trail head around 5:30pm with my buddy saying, "Aww, don't worry we'll be back way before dark!" In a tank-top, shorts, and borrowed tennis shoes, we pretty much ran up the first third to half of the trail. Then we ran into snow which wasn't bad at first, but then with all the water on the trail and …
I've been this peak twice in the last 5 years, and it ranks as one of my favorites (better than Hood!). Do watch out for the wind...I experienced tremendous gusts (50mph+ ?)both times, and watched the temperature drop from 45 to 10 degrees (F) in a matter of minutes, and this in June! Gotta go prepared.
The Mt. Bandera trail is a great half-day or conditioning hike if you're looking to experience nature without going too far from civilization. The beginning of the trail is a relaxed slope that turns into several small switchbacks. Then the trail breaks to Mason Lake or straight up to the peak, which is actually a few meters higher than the …