Outing: Mt. Rainier National Park Exploration

Canceled

Activity Notes

Join Mazama leaders Reuel Kurzet and Dyanne Foster for 5 days and 4 nights hiking in beautiful Mt. Rainier National Park. In addition to this 5-day car camping trip, you can add on an optional 3-day backpacking trip in the area. Sign up for 5 days or 8 days to enjoy this stunning landscape!

Leaders and participants must be fully vaccinated against COVID to participate in this Outing. We will follow all Mazama COVID restrictions/protocols applicable at the time of the Outing.

COSTS:

Participants should plan for two charges relating to this outing: the deposit (as listed below and charged automatically upon acceptance) and the final invoice (remaining balance dependent on team size & optional backpacking add-on, see text below for range, and to be paid via emailed invoice).

For Mazamas members, the deposit is $50. The cost range (including deposit) for the 5-day car camping will be $62 to $70; the cost range (including deposit) for the 8-day car camping plus backpack will be $92 to $100.

For non-members, the deposit is $100. The cost range (including deposit) for the 5-day car camping will be $112 to $120; the cost range (including deposit) for the 8-day car camping plus backpack will be $172 to $180.

Please be aware of the following additional fees to be paid by participants on a per vehicle basis: National Park entrance, National Forest trailhead, and campground parking fees.

ITINERARY:

Aug. 15, Day 1: Drive to Wis Wis Campground, 150 miles (2.5 hours). Short evening hike in Grove of the Patriarchs, 1.3 miles, and group meeting.

Aug. 16–18, Days 2–4: Possible hikes depending on group preference and capability:

Reflection Lakes loop 3 miles 600 ft elevation gain –many longer loop variations possible
Skyline Trail to Paradise Glacier 6.2 miles, 1000 ft EG
Skyline Trail loop 5.5 miles, 1,700 ft EG
Rampart Ridge loop 5.1 miles, 1,280 ft EG
Narada Falls 4.5 miles, 2,044 ft EG with car shuttle or 9 miles return
Pinnacle Peak Saddle 2.6 miles, 970 ft EG or continue along the ridgeline to add more distance
Silver Falls 2.7 miles, minimal EG
Naches Peak loop 5 miles, minimal EG

Day hikes from Paradise: many possible loops of varying distances start from Paradise. One example: Alta Vista trail to Skyline trail to Deadhorse Creek trail (w/ or w/o side trip on Moraine trail to see the foot of the glacier) to Avalanche Lily trail back to Alta Vista trail. Larger or smaller loops out of Paradise allow flexibility in distance and elevation gain. These hikes can be as short as a couple of miles (although steep) or as long as 6+ miles.

Aug. 19, Day 5: Snow Lake Trail 2.8 miles 700 ft EG. Drive home p.m. or continue to the trailhead for the backpack portion of the outing in the William O. Douglas Wilderness for an evening meeting and to camp.

Aug. 20–22, Days 6–8: Optional backpack add-on:

Lighter packs (under 32 lbs) are advised. Our pace will be moderate. We are considering three backpack loop options and will choose one by August 10, i.e., before leaving for the first day-hike outing:

Fryingpan Lake loop, 14.6 miles, 2,200 ft EG, high point 5150 ft. This area is dotted with many lakes, so participants must be prepared for mosquitos. If the mosquito report around August 10 is really terrible, we’ll choose one of the other two options.
American Ridge, almost a loop *18.3 miles, 4,900 ft EG, high point 6946 ft. * 2.7 of the miles are on an old logging road that connects to another trail, closing the loop back to our cars.
Big Crow Basin loop, 20.7 miles, 4,125 feet, high point 6,400 ft.

Exact conditions will be determined closer to the trip. Changes to the itinerary are possible due to the conditions of the trails.

Please contact leader Reuel Kurzet, rkurzet@comcast.net, 503-341-0138 if you have any questions.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS:

We are planning a pre-trip (Zoom) information meeting in July 2021.