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!

I've completed the Little Mashel Falls Hike around 10 times since 2022. I mostly conduct this hike…read moreduring the spring season. For many people or those weather-prone or ill-equipped, it's really wet and cold around this time. However, it's the best time to go because this is peak flow season for the middle fall and the increasing of waterfall spates (volume) around the three falls. On this particular day (late summer), the falls were dry. In other words, the falls were reduced significantly and very marginal to say the least. As far as the trail, it's pretty straightforward. It's relatively smooth, with a very slight incline for approximately 2 miles until you reach the falls. Make sure you're consistently traveling to the left directionally of the path until you see a large stone/rock stage to the left, which leads to a trail to all of the falls. About 200 feet in, the trail begins a slight decline. From this point, the pathways to all three falls feature moderate decline on the way in and inclines on the way out. However, this is one of the easiest water hikes I've ever done that even your most novice hikers would find eventful. The biggest and most beautiful fall of them all is the Middle. Tips: Make sure to check the weather report before you conduct this hike. It's notorious for sudden inclement weather such as scattered rain/hail storms especially during the spring. If you don't pack the right equipment, you will be stuck in the middle of a painful hail storm. Bring a rain coat or poncho because it gets really misty around the middle fall and you could find yourself quickly getting soaked. Lastly, a lot of people get lost trying to find the trail to the falls. I posted a picture of the rock for your reference. This is where you want to take a left and go to the falls.

I wish that the directions were more clear on how to get to the waterfall. Just stay on the main…read moreroad and turn on the faded spraypainted rock that has the faint red letters of the word "FALLS". honestly, just follow the sound of the waterfalls, which help with the indication of blue diamond signs on the tree barks. Idk what the white diamond signs mean, but follow the blue ones for the waterfall

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.

Great views! Started around 9 AM on a Saturday and wasn't too too crowded. Definitely started…read moreseeing more people on the way down though. I also slipped on my butt like two steps away from the trailhead :( Parking lot pretty big but I believe it fills quick. The trail gets quite narrow in some spots. Hiking shoes and poles recommended!

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!

The coal creek nature area is like a secret forest. Hidden in between Coal Creek Parkway and…read moredifferent neighborhoods bordering Bellevue and Newcastle. The waterfall here is dependent on the weather. Tucked into a small creek/canyon area. The trail is beautiful and loads of ferns everywhere. The green state really shines down in this area too. Of course in the summer it becomes a bit browner. Springtime and the blackberry bushes line certain parts of the trails. Trail access varies depending on where you go. Various signage gives you a history of the area. So lucky to have access to this lovely trail. Get out there and enjoy life. SYOY!

It was a beautiful day for a hike and we decided to check out Coal Creek Falls Trail…read more It was so peaceful and very pretty. Just what we both needed after a hectic work week. What was really interesting to us, was a long the trail there were signs giving the coal mining history along the trail. There are multiple trails to explore and I look forward to coming back another time to explore some of the other trails. They also have horse trails, which is pretty cool. I just need to find a horse and learn how to ride one.

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.

Easy hike. Beautiful!!! The turquoise water is incredible! Came here with another couple and their…read morebaby - they were able to hike with the baby in a body carrier. Not stroller friendly.

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.

Fun, easy hike. This little gem is worth visiting. This is a privately owned tree farm. The owners…read moreof this beautiful property, have graciously allowed us access to enjoy. We hiked from the parking lot to the falls using a very well manicured trail system. Lots of areas to stop and take photos, most of the trail system is covered by huge trees providing tons of shade from the elements. If you don't want to hike the trails, you have the option to walk all the way up to the falls using a service road. I'd say ok for parents with littles and definitely recommend bringing your dog. We spent a few hours hiking here.

We loved this easy and fun path. It was an easy hike for the whole family. Many paths if you want…read moreto continue after the falls. It was not too busy during the week but can see it could get busy during the weekend. Easy access to parking which is a plus!

We were recently traveling with our dog in the area so we had to take her on the pet friendly Mt…read more Rainier Gondola. Even though the weather didn't agree with us, we still had an enjoyable time. We purchased our tickets online a few days ahead because you get a better price that way. Each ticket is good for two separate rides. We arrived just after 10 in the morning and it was grey and overcast. The sky was very cloudy and there was a foggy mist over the mountains. It was lovely but not the best weather for sight seeing. We went ahead and rode up the mountain and back and it was fun but as you can guess the views weren't great from the gondola. About half the ride it was just like being inside frosted glass and all we could see was grey. We stayed at the top for a while but the winds were to fierce for our pup so we headed back down and spent some time eating, shopping and enjoying the area. We were hoping the weather would clear up later in the afternoon. Unfortunately for us, Mother Nature had other plans and it was cool, foggy and totally overcast all day. I wasn't even really that disappointed though because it was just so beautiful being there. It was honestly my favorite kind of weather. On our second ride, we did try riding the famous "Green Gondola". We had seen other people waiting for it on our earlier ride and asked a staff member what it was all about. They said it was just a replacement gondola so it didn't match the others exactly and we kind of laughed at how silly it is but people love things that are unique. There was no line, so we gave it a go and I'm here to tell you that it didn't part the clouds and I haven't won the lottery since riding it :) Sorry to say it is just like the red ones. Even with the weather, we made a really nice day of it and if you haven't seen this area, I would definitely recommend giving the gondola a try. I think next time we will probably risk the higher prices at the gate to make sure the weather is cooperating for the ride.

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.