The Glacier Basin Trail is utterly magical in every sense of the word. I must have taken hundreds…read moreof pictures and several videos while hiking this trail. This hike has everything that your little heart could ever desire! A forest full of giant trees. Vibrantly green shrubs. Waterfalls at practically each turn. Majestic views of not only the snow covered mountains, but the gorgeous aqua hues of the White River down below. The rushing river running parallel. Rampant wildlife. Colorful wildflowers. Inclines and elevation galore. I mean, shall I go on?! Just stunning. Glacier Basin is located near the White River entrance of Mount Rainier National Park. The trail begins just behind the White River Campgrounds. It's starts off mildly inclining through a lush forest, but the incline picks up speed and continues to incline until you reach the camp. It's about roughly 9 miles and 2,000 feet of elevation in total if you add in the the detour to the Emmons Lorraine Trail. Do it! It will add another 1.5/2miles to the hike, BUT... this is where you'll find that incredible view of the Inter Fork White River. It's funny that it's called the "white river" because it's stunningly aqua from the top of Emmons Lorraine. The Emmons Lorraine trail is a turn off that's about a mile into the Glacier Basin Trail and includes a river crossing and a steep incline up a narrow hill. It looks a bit intimidating, but it's really not. Just sit on your bum for the really gnarly parts coming down (at least that's what I did). Continuing on the Glacier Basin Trail, it's basically a straight shot up the hill for another 3 miles until you reach the top. There are a few spots with some switchbacks, but it's mostly a ridge-like trail. AllTrails has rated this hike as moderate, but it's definitely on the harder side of moderate if not difficult. What makes this hike so enjoyable though is the fact that there's so much scenery. Every time I took a break, I was either greeted by a beautiful mini waterfall or vibrant wildflowers. The views are very motivating and it keeps you going. Once you reach Glacier Basin Camp, you'll be met with the most stunning views of snow covered Mount Rainier and the rushing waters of the White River right next to it. This hike took me about 5 hours in total to complete (including breaks, lunch, and detours). It's definitely a day hike, so bring enough food and water to keep yourself nourished. Also, make sure you have some really comfortable hiking shoes/boots and hiking poles for the way down if you have bad knees. Coming down can be just as tough as hiking up because of the steepish downhill for 3 miles straight. This one is definitely going in the books as one of my favorite National Park hikes and my favorite Washington state hike thus far. If you're looking for a challenge and a great way to see the beauty of Mount Rainier National Park, Glacier Basin Trail is a great option.

As a Seattle native, I can say that this is my favorite hike I've ever been on. The hike has a fork…read moreabout a mile in. If you fork left, there is a relatively short (~30 min) but steep trail that leads to the glacier basin. The water is a bright teal with mountains in the background, one of the best views I've ever seen. My friends and I went swimming in the basin, which was very cold but also very fun. If you stay on the main trail, it is an additional 6 miles that is moderate-difficult and took about 3 hours to get up. At the top, there is a really pretty meadow and campground. You will need a Mt. Ranier National Park pass ($50 annual or $30/week) to enter. I went on a weekday in the morning and had no trouble finding parking. The main trail was quite empty, but the left fork had a couple other groups. However, we more or less had the place to ourselves. Overall, 10/10 would reccomend!

The best kept secret in pierce county. Finding parking will be difficult on a nice day. We parked…read morenear the bridge but others will park near Fairfax trail. It is about A 2 to 5 mile loop. So if you were to do a round-trip it could be up to 4 to 10. Well you walk around you'll see beautiful foliage, rivers, trees, and scary abandoned ghost town relics of buildings. There are some who criticize this nonexistent town but if you have some patience you will see a lot of the structures. Or even the foundations of them. It is very dog friendly. However there is no water for them so please bring your own. The ground is not very smooth so be careful of their paws. There are no garbage cans so pack it out. There are many locals hiking and walking. They are very friendly.

The bestie and I decided to take a hike with my two dogs. This place popped up on a search. We're…read morein no way professional hikers and this hike made us both nervous a few times. We drove over a one lane bridge and then parked on the side where we saw other cars. Once we got out the car we couldn't tell where the actual hike started. Then we see a small sign that says it's north over the bridge. The one lane bridge? Yes. Yes this bridge. So off we go to walk across this high bridge with two dogs, also my youngest dog is a nut ball. Cars are driving past us but they're going slowly and we're staying all the way to the side. Once you cross the bridge there's a metal guardrail that you cross over. Then the trippy part starts. The actual hike is starts below the bridge. There's these crazy stones that I know they want to say are rock stairs but they are not. They are instead pieces of Earth that love to trip me. There is a metal guardrail to grab onto for balance and honestly there was a time when it held my entire body weight. And we have dogs on a leash to take down with us! What an adventure! I go down and have to convince the bestie to follow. She's convinced this is a bad idea now lol. It's not though, we toggle down and come to a nice hiking trail. We took a left and hiked for four miles before we turned around. I believe there's a town to hike to but we never found it. Sometimes the trail was too narrow and to high for my tastes but courage prevailed! It was all so beautiful! The trees, the water, the sky. I would go again...

This park is clean and peaceful, I've come here 3x now and loved it. I paddleboard here and it's…read moregreat especially since there are no houses and boats. There's a playground off to the side, bbq grills and several benches.

One of absolute favorite parks to visit. I come here just to get away and relax and get lost in my…read moreown thoughts whenever I need a break. I brought my boyfriend with me the other day and he loved it too. The bathrooms are clean, stocked and overall well maintained which is a huge plus for me because park bathrooms are usually pretty icky The trail is an easy peasy, 99% flat 1.4 miles with a few off trails leading to water access. This place is gorgeous on bright days but also on gloomy, rainy WA days. The girl at the booth who sold me a Discover Pass on July 4, 2016 was very friendly. She's the only park worker I've ever interacted with in the dozens of times I've been here. If you're in the area and looking for an easy and beautiful stroll, definitely stop in here.

The parking area is easy to get to. I got there at 9am and there were only 4 spots left out of…read moreabout 13-14 spots. The vault toilets were clean and surprising smelled great. The trees provide great cover from the sun and keeps the walking area quite cool. It was already warm at 9am and the sun peeked through the limbs of the trees. The first 3 or so miles are on the paved service road so it's a great warm up although the lack of variance can be tough if you have fallen arches or issues walking on flat surface for a while. Once you get closer to the start of the actual Green Lake Trail, the river kind of greets you and welcomes you to the start of the trail. It is then another 1.8 miles to the lake and there is a stop off about a mile in where you can go to Ranger Falls. The switchbacks are odd and there isn't really a strategy to them. It's not the typical back and forth. It's kind of all over the place and I liked that, so you don't get bored. The lake was beautiful. Simply beautiful. Super clear, still, emerald water. Hardly any fish stirring. Plenty of chipmunks though. The bees were slightly annoying though and won't leave you alone. I took an old tree limb from the ground to use as a swatting tool & that seemed to help.

Gorgeous place! We were able to go snowshoeing for free! Plenty of parking on the side of the road…read more Highly recommend bringing hiking poles since it's super icy this season!

Definitely arrive early because the lot with fill up fast! A NW Forest pass is required for…read moreparking. This trail is very rocky so make sure to have good hiking shoes and trekking poles. There was also lots of bugs on this trail so definitely pack bug spray as well. The view is beautiful, a little crowded but I came around 7:30am so it wasn't too bad.

Easy loop hike. A little bit of up then down then up kinda stuff. Its beautiful nature but really…read morenot much real view until the waterfall. Compared to skyline loop it isn't much. But its easy and quick.

Good hike through the woods. This provides "forest bathing" and good falls. Many huckleberry bushes…read morebut not too many fruit. Reverse hike! Uphill when you are hot and tired ...

A MUST when visiting Mt. Rainier / Crystal Mountain resort - it was the perfect way to admire what…read morethe wifey had just accomplished, running down the gigantic mountain, the ride up is about 10 - 15mins, all worth it!!! breath taking views of Mt. Rainier, do dress accordingly, it was pretty windy and about 10 degrees colder up on the mountain. there is a restaurant/restrooms observation chairs and a beer garden at the top! but the view!!! stunning, the greens/whites/ snow peak colors with the sky blue in the background. as usual parking could be hit or miss, they do have several parking lots but the closest one to the gandola ( the paved one ) is on the smaller side, they have other lots designated by letters ( which also unpaved ) Info on Gondola here: https://www.crystalmountainresort.com/things-to-do/activities/mt-rainier-gondola

Came for the day while friends skied. Beautiful, sunny and gorgeous! Snow already melting - this…read moreis the last day of the season. Gondola tickets $54 each and you get 2 round trips.

Waste of time. Falls? More like a little spring...blocked by wire fence and overgrown scrubs.read more

You can see the waterfall over a fence but it is partly obscured by overgrowth. Not a great photo…read moreop either though the waterfall is very nice. There are no trails to walk other than the two viewpoints at the parking lot. It is just a quick stop.

We were told about this trail by a local who walked through the Ghost Town several years ago. This…read moresounded like a fun adventure so we took a hike. First: the parking area is chained shut and 'tow' signs are in the drive way area that leads to the parking lot. We drove over a one-way bridge (traffic signals control traffic direction) and found a parking area on the right. This area also has the same 'tow' signs but the lot had several vehicles and many people were in the area so we parked. It's a shady lot with a spring water dispenser straight from the ground. (A sign asks that you Venmo money for any water you take from the Spring) We walked back over the bridge, past the gate and onto the trail. Second: the initial hike is a wide incline covered in gravel. This leads you up and around to a Coal Car where the trail divides. The Ghost Town is to your right. The mine shaft and grave yard are to your left. Both trails continue to lead up. One of the hike pages I looked over described this as an 'easy' trail for kids. Regarding climbing over obstacles, the path is clear and it is an easy hike if you go toward the ghost town. However, the grade is pretty steep in that direction. The direction of the mine however has several trees down and most we had to climb over. The trail there is not well maintained. The Ghost Town: This pathway is mostly wide and gravel covered making it the easier of the two trails. We found one foundation covered in undergrowth on the right that you can climb the steps onto a small foundation. You have to really be looking to see the steps. On the left is what looks almost like a retaining wall on the hillside. That's all we saw of a 'town'. The path continues to climb up and around. It may lead out to the road on the opposite side of the hill but we did not walk all the way and I make that suggestion based on maps. This trail is mostly full sun. The Mine Shaft and Graveyard: We came back and took the left branch of the trail where it divides at the Coal Car. This trail runs from wide and gravel covered to single file while walking through raspberry bushes (prickers). Thankfully we had rain jackets on so those tiny thorns did not snag our shirts and I kept my hands above my head to save my skin. Be prepared for that. This trail is mostly shady. It takes a while to reach the mine shaft which includes a plaque with some mine information. The shaft is quite large, goes straight down, is surrounded by a metal railing and topped with a lattice of rebar. The sign suggest you drop a rock in to hear how deep the shaft is, however as this must have been done hundreds of times, rocks nearby are scarce. Bring your own rock with you. Once you have spent all the time you'd like at the mine shaft, take the trail to the left of the mine shaft plaque to continue on to the graveyard. There are a couple of places along the way that will make you wonder 'is this it?' It's not. Just keep going. It's another longish hike in a more gentle upward direction. The path veers off to your right at several points, one of which leads to a wet low area, but overhead here you will see remnants of some coal car rails. There is a trail leading up a steep incline that will take you to the top of the rails if you'd like a closer look. The 'up' is easier than the 'down' on this steep pathway. The graveyard is further ahead, past this coal car rail. Just keep walking. You will see on your right, at the base of a tree, a toppled over headstone that looks like a small obelisk. This, and a wooden sign erected by a local group stating they fenced in a grave, are the main visible signs of the graveyard. The area is completely overgrown, including the fenced in grave. After climbing over trees and fending off thorny raspberry bushes (without the joy of eating some of the berries) this was a disappointing hike. The trail ends here. Some of the downed trees have had a path chopped or cut out so you can walk around or through them but most your scramble over. I am not sure what is happening with this land or why the lot is closed with no explanation sign. I could not find information in a search of local news sites. I do wonder however if it has anything to do with a downtrodden looking 'resort' on the other side of the bridge. They offer you access to a waterfall for a small fee. I believe you can access this waterfall from the chained lot if you take the trail directly down to the river on the left. But this is just speculation. I did not take them up on their offer. If you are here for a nice, uphill hike, take the path to the right at the coal car and enjoy a wider path with some views of the surrounding area. That is a pleasant hike in and of itself. Just don't expect to see a 'ghost town' and you'll enjoy this hike. Happy hiking!

While the hike in and out was nice, easy for kids (of at least aged 5 years), and relatively quick,…read morethe ghost town wasn't really worth the effort (destination).

Way, way better than I expected!!…read more Every time I go to Mt Rainier I pass the sign for Mud Mountain Dam, and every time I chuckle at myself that people would want to go there because it sounds super lame. WELL! I had energy left after my Mt Rainier hike, so I decided why not? It's on the way home and the worst thing that happens is I never come back. I was always under the impression that you had to hike in, but after following the road a ways I came to a developed parking lot and what appeared to be a look out point. Nice looking, new playground for the kiddos. Bathrooms are available and a huge props to the people that maintain them!! The buildings were older and a bit run down, but the facilities were *clean*! Even smelled nice, I was really shocked! Lookout point is right off of the parking lot and is ADA accessible. There are several educational signs along the way and in the lookout shelter and some really lovely views! There's also a trail. Pretty short, 1/2 mile? Switchbacks all the way. There's a new chain-link fence for safety and the trail ends at a little lookout point that gets you a lovely view of the dam. Most definitely not worth a special trip, but if it's already on the way it's not a bad idea to stop by and check it out!

Presently under construction, for the play ground. Once completed though, it looks like it will be…read morefun for little ones. The trail is still open. Beautiful walk. I do not recommend using a bike or a stroller on the trail, lots of cliffs without fencing. A very muddy beautiful walk.