Loop Hikes in Mt. Rainier National Park

In 2016 I published an article on hiking shorter segments in Mt. Rainier National Park, as that year only walk up permits were available and there was confusion and relative chaos for Wonderland Trail hikers. These loop hikes are of course still viable alternatives vice doing the entire Wonderland and gives the hiker more options, especially for walk up permits.

Of course, there are other loops available beyond those in the article, and some of my suggestions will be included here. If one is experienced and in excellent shape, these can be done as day hikes. However, overnights and multiday trips are always an option, availing oneself of the backcountry camps along the way. Happy Hiking!

Northern Loop Trail

White is the Wonderland Trail portion of the Northern Loop, not covered in this series

The Northern Loop Trail takes the hiker for a loop around the northern part of the park, essentially circling the Elysian Fields, nestled between ridges and peaks. The southern part of the loop is on the Wonderland Trail, which is not covered in this two part sojourn. The NLT can be accessed from Sunrise (as in this series) or from the Carbon River entrance and Mowich Lake, both of which currently have no access by non government vehicles due to the closure of the Fairfax bridge. Reference here for my 1 day transit in 2023, which entailed 38 miles and 9,800’ of elevation gain/loss (from Sunrise). I incorporate a fair amount of that 2023 trip footage but this series calls on a more extensive library, from 2010 to 2024. Part I includes the sections • Introduction/Overview • Sunrise • Berkeley Park • Grand Park/Scarface/Fire Creek • West Fork White River. Part II includes • Pigeon Peak/Lake James/Natural Bridge • Windy Gap/Elysian Fields/Tyee Ridge and Peak • Yellowstone Camp/Wonderland Trail Intersection. As noted in the Introduction, off trail travel is depicted, from a well established social trail to the extremely sensitive Elysian Fields. Please carefully assess your skill set before venturing off trail, and be very cognizant of LNT practices…if you don’t know what that means, then stay on trail. That said, the NLT makes for an awesome loop and serves up a succulent eye/ear/olfactory smorgasbord. Many hikers incorporate the NLT in their Wonderland Trail trip, usually taking 3 to 4 days (or more!) to soak in the awesomeness of the Northern Loop Trail. Included after the two part series is the 2023 NLT hike video. Enjoy!

Included here is the video of the 2023 hike, run time 21 mins.

Huckleberry Creek/Grand Park Loop

Height of flower season (July 16, 2025) + gorgeous weather = a feast for the senses! Although not on everyone’s radar, this 26 mile loop with 5,200’ elevation is a gem. Although I started/ended from Sunrise, one could also park at the Lake Eleanor trailhead on FS 73. Although some may consider it a downside, one must exit the park and walk about 4 miles on FS 73 to the Lake Eleanor entrance. Make sure you have enough water for this road walk, as it can be hot. However, roadside flowers will certainly take the sting off. After Lake Eleanor you will transit the entirety of Grand Park before immersing yourself in the flower laden palette of Berkeley Park, fed by Lodi Creek. Filmed in 4k, run time 18:51

Western Loop

Reference the intro about “How to Enjoy Mt Rainier in Short Segments.” One of the loops I wrote about is the Western Loop. I'll warn you up front, to complete this loop without backtracking you will be hiking 11 miles of the West Side Road and finishing up with about 2 miles on the main drag to return to your vehicle parked at the Kautz Creek trail head. However, in that article I explain that the west side of the park is the most inaccessible due to the closure of the West Side Road to vehicular traffic. It also sports some of the best scenery on the Wonderland. At that time I hadn’t actually done the Western Loop per se, but I gave it a go on August 7, 2024. If you want the condensed version (13 mins), you can see the video and the blog article here. But if you want the full meal, I have produced a this more immersive video. The “Extended Cut” version is only viewable here, with time stamps so the viewer can get a feel for doing this loop in one shot. Campsites along the way are the usual Wonderland Trail camps (So. Puyallup, Klapatche Park, No. Puyallup) as well as Lake George off the West Side Road. However you choose to enjoy the west side, either as this loop, a Wonderland thru hike, or even day hike forays from the West Side Road, you won’t be disappointed.

Eastern Loop

The "Eastern Loop Trail" is not an official description like the Northern Loop Trail, but I consider it a gem in it's own right and hikers should consider this trek for a number of reasons. Foremost is the ability to travel some of the most awesome alpine areas of the park (Indian Bar, Panhandle Gap and Summerland) and then experiencing classic Pacific Northwest old growth forest on excellent trail. In the case of the Eastside Trail, the slightly mild and undulating elevation provides relief from the elevation gains of the first part of the trip and finishes the loop in cool forest for hours of casual walking. I would recommend starting at the Cowlitz Divide trail head (2200') and proceeding to the junction with the Wonderland Trail (4800'/4.3 miles). This itinerary allows you to get the hard work of the loop done right away and hit the Gap later in the day when the snow is softer; however, nothing precludes one from going at a more casual pace and spending the night at Indian Bar (5000'/9 miles). The high point on this section is the appropriately named Point 5930. Depending on the time of year, the Cowlitz Divide is a spectacular place, especially after the snow melt and the plethora of flowers that line each mile. Bear, mountain chicken and elk abound in this area. Be aware that water is not to be found on the Cowlitz Divide so plan accordingly. Beyond what you will read there, this is a fantastic loop that will take you over some of the most dramatic parts of the Wonderland, namely the Cowlitz Divide, sporting some of the best vistas in the park, to Indian Bar, then over Panhandle Gap (6800’ • prime mountain goat viewing area) and Summerland to the Fryingpan Creek trailhead on the Sunrise Park road. You'll have to walk the road a short half mile to the Owyhigh Lakes trail head, where you'll ascend for the last time before dropping to the Eastside Trail and finish your hike amidst old growth splendor on gentle trail. It’s less than a mile on short connector trails to regain your vehicle. Possible camp spots follow. Click here to tour Olallie/Tamanos/Deer Creek. Click here for Indian Bar and Summerland.

Olallie Creek: just 3 miles into the hike, a good place if you got a late start and want to get going

Indian Bar: very popular and perhaps harder to get on a weekend, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try.

Summerland: probably the most popular and sought after camp in the park due to its easy access from the road (4.3 miles) and fantastic scenery.

Tamanos Creek: this is a pleasant spot in the forest prior to the Owyhigh Lakes and assuredly easier to secure than Summerland

Deer Creek: easy access from Highway 123 but a pleasant spot nonetheless

I did this loop on July 9, 2013, over nighting at Tamanos Creek Camp. Feeling a little nostalgic, I used my Wonderland Trail update and photos/video taken on that trek, all captured on a GoPro Hero3. Recorded in 720P, run time 14:27.

Mother Mountain Orbit

This was a very popular loop hike when one could drive to the Carbon River entrance or Mowich Lake. Covering 16 miles and 4,000’ vertical, it was in the wheelhouse of most hikers as a day hike. Not so much now with the road closure to these entrances. However, the Spray Park trail is an alternate route for the Wonderland and many many hikers choose to go over this gem, especially if the weather is good. And in the filming this past year, I in fact had great weather on two transits, one CW and the other CCW owing to cranking out 3 Wonderland Trail hikes last year to reach 40 transits at age 70. This allows me the opportunity to show a complete CW transit from Mowich Lake, and the CCW transit from Mowich to the Carbon River suspension bridge. Both of these trips were early evening with appropriate light. Please enjoy this lingering view of Spray and Seattle Parks, along with the Wonderland trail portion through Ipsut Pass. Filmed in 4K, run time 33:23.

Mt. Rainier West Mini Loop

With beautiful fall weather, I secured a spot for 5 days at Cougar Rock Campground to get some outdoors time in. One of those days (Wednesday, Oct 4, 2023) I biked from Cougar Rock to the West Side Road, parking the bike at the rack at the South Puyallup trail head. From there it was a 13 mile loop hike up the So. Puyallup trail to the Wonderland, CW to St. Andrews Park and Lake, Klapatche Park, the St. Andrews Trail to the West Side Road...which I then hiked back to my bike and rode back to Cougar Rock. Round Trip stats: 42 miles (13 hiking)/5800' elevation. I’m including this in my “Shorts” section because it is thematic, with organ music written for the middle section.

RIMROBOD (bike, not hike)

I’m including this bike ride in the Loop Hike series as an example of how one can sample a huge part of the park from end to end on this slower conveyance verses just driving. I’ve encountered bear, deer, fox and coyote while biking the park roads. The slower pace, especially when climbing, allows the cyclist to take in all the sights, including roadside flowers. The beauty of RIMROBOD (Ride the Interior of Mt. Rainier Out and Back in One Day) means those sections that went by fast on the descents will be a slow climb on the way back, and vice versa. Essentially, the cyclist will experience the exhilaration of 30-40 MPH descents and 5-7 MPH climbs over the entire 118 miles. Now, this is not an official event, I obviously made it up (as a harder/?better? way to see the park vice RAMROD). If contemplating this ride, be confident in doing a century and climbing over 13,000 feet; this is not for the casual rider. Also, check about the rules of timed entry in relation to times and bikes for 2026, which have not been determined as of this writing. If starting from Longmire, you will be exiting the reentering the park at the Stevens Canyon and White River entrances. The following iteration was done on a weekend in October, having to accommodate the closure of the Stevens Canyon road for the better part of two years during the week for construction. Filmed in 4K, run time 26:15.

East Eastern Loop

NOTE: this is the original blog report on this hike. I plan to film this in 2026. There is what is known as the Eastern Loop Trail in MRNP, utilizing the Wonderland Trail over Panhandle Gap, the Owyhigh Lakes Trail and the Eastside Trail. This loop takes one through high alpine and lowland old growth, a gem for sure. A complete description can be found here

The flowered path along Dewey Lake

With this in mind, one can complete a loop further east, forging out to the PCT and heading north. The PCT pops in and out of the park boundary along the way, but the majority of this hike is within the confines of Mt. Rainier National Park. This East Eastern Loop has stats similar to the Eastern Loop, with 31 miles and 6,600 feet of elevation gain/loss. I completed this loop on July 28, 2018, experiencing heat, bugs, hail and rain, then sun again. IOW, all the makings of a great trip (I parked at the Stevens Canyon entrance). However, in retrospect I would say this loop is probably best done in the fall, before the early snows hit the upper reaches of the PCT. It suits itself perfectly with its wonderful old growth forest trails, with open views along the PCT above 5500 feet. A fall hike with crisp air, no bugs and late season colors seems especially inviting. This is not to say my summer jaunt was without its rewards. Anytime one is out in the mountains one can expect hindrances to outdoors bliss. In my case it was rather warm (for Washington) temperatures and an abundance of skeeters. However, the wild flowers were a bloomin' and the oppressive heat was mitigated by cool breezes. In my case, approaching 20 miles on my feet, the low point was feeling ill as I climbed out of Dewey Lake towards the high point near 5900 feet above Chinook Pass. The heat was taking its toll. Relief came in the form of sudden hail and rain. While the tourists in T-shirts were scattering (this point is close to the parking area at Chinook Pass), I reveled in the cooler temperatures and made a quick recovery. As soon as I turned on the Eastside trail and headed south, I spent the last 11 miles of the loop in solitude.

Silver Falls on the East Eastern Loop

Although this loop offers plenty of camping choices, most on the PCT portion and Deer Creek camp on the Eastside trail, the terrain is mild enough to make a most excellent day trip if one has the legs. The Laughingwater Creek trail offers a prime example of old growth forest hiking, gaining altitude on a gentle grade, slowly transitioning to the more alpine environment above 5000 feet. The PCT portion offers views towards the mountain and rolling trail interspersed with lakes, bogs or tarns. And although I found the northern portions of the Eastside trail in sometimes poor shape (blowdowns, rutted sections), the southern portion finds one back in old growth forest with splashing creeks, eventually crossing the Ohanapecosh River and listening to its gentle roaring all the way to your waiting vehicle.

Rainier from the PCT

DESCRIPTION: From Stevens Canyon entrance (park at the Grove of the Patriarchs area) proceed across the road to the Silver Falls trail towards Ohanapecosh. Take the Laughingwater Creek trail, crossing Highway 123, to intersect the PCT northbound. Once above Dewey Lake, go left on the Naches Loop trail (still signed as the PCT) until reaching Chinook Pass, then go left on the Eastside trail, which will take you back to your waiting vehicle.

Avalanche lillies

Refreshing rain drops on foliage

Morning light on the Laughingwater Creek trail