Like Glacier, Mount Rainer requires a reservation to enter the park, so we were back to our 7 pm alarm setting ways while staying in Packwood, Washington. We were successful in getting a pass for the Stevens Canyon entrance for the 4th of July. We were up early to pack for a big day of hiking, and found seven elk wandering around our camper! We were on the road before 7 am to head to the Henry M. Jackson Memorial Visitor’s Center in the Paradise Corridor to access the Skyline trail head.
On our way, we stopped by Reflection Lakes (pictured as the feature image in this post). It was a perfect, sunny morning, and left us with the mirror image of Mount Rainier in the water that give the lakes their name. In hindsight, I think this quick stop was an omen of the awesome day that awaited us.
Skyline Trail
The Skyline trail is listed as a strenuous 5 + mile hike with 1400′ of elevation climb in the first 2.5 miles. Of all the National Parks we planned to visit this summer, and all the hikes we looked forward to, Mike and I were most excited for the Skyline Trail. We’ve just read so many great things about the trail, seen so many beautiful pictures, and the “America’s Parks” YouTuber we follow made the hike look pretty impossible to beat. All that said, we kept our expectations low, realizing that it might be too much to bite off with a 7 and 10-year-old.
We did well to prepare the boys. “This will be really hard.” “There will be snow.” “There will be a LOT of climbing.” “It will be long.” “It will take us a long time.” We packed a lot of snacks, a full picnic lunch, a lot of water, wore lots of layers and our toughest hiking shoes, and took our hiking poles. We were as ready as we were going to be.
And it was really hard. And there was a lot of snow. And there was SO much climbing. Literally, ALL climbing for the first 2 1/2 miles.
And everyone rocked it. Spirits were high. Breaks were taken. Snacks were eaten. Friends were made. Conversations were had and words of encouragement were shared. And it was one of the most magical experiences of my 43 years.
Seemingly none of the pictures I’ve taken on this trip have done justice to the beauty we’re seeing, but it hasn’t stopped me from trying and this hike was no different. It was a perfectly clear day, and from the outlook at Panorama Point you could clearly see Mount Hood, Mount Baker, and Mount St. Helens.
Because of late snow melt and the second half of the trail (the descent) not being visible, the park was recommending that hikers turn around at Panorama Point and not complete the entire Skyline loop. And for hikers who did want to complete the entire loop, it was recommended to download the trail map before you began the hike.
We considered turning around, but just wanted to climb to the true peak of the trail just beyond the Panorama Point. We met oncoming hikers at the top who had hiked the trail “backwards”, and after hearing them say that the trail was relatively easy to follow due to footprints in the snow, we felt pretty confident that we could complete the loop. Unfortunately, we had not downloaded the map, and somewhere around mile 4 things got a little hairy. We weren’t quite sure where to head, when we came across more oncoming hikers who shared their downloaded map, and sent us in the right direction. Crisis averted, but definitely not our finest hiking moment.
A highlight of the second half of the loop was the sledding paths down most of the steep hills. Our youngest was the first to excitedly hand off his hiking pole and ride right down. It looked like so much fun that the rest of us joined him.
We finished the hike in just over five hours absolutely exhausted, sunburnt from the glare off the snow, and sopping wet, but feeling a huge sense of pride and accomplishment and just – good. Being outside feels good. That amount of fresh air, that amount of effort, that amount of sun and snow and nature and beauty – it’s good for the body and oh so good for the soul.
Cowlitz River Public Access
By the time we got back to the camper at 3 pm, I could have crawled into bed and slept until the next morning. We were all sunburnt, but no one more so than our youngest, whose face was so red it was worrisome. While the rest of us could have easily aloed up and called it a day, there is no end to the energy of the youngest member of our party, and he was begging for a trip to the Cowlitz River to fish and swim. We all just needed to muster enough energy to get into the truck and haul a camp chair down to the river. We could do this.
In addition to all of the other awesome amenities the town offered the campground, the public access to the Cowlitz River was less than a mile away. The Cowlitz is a stunning river. The waters are a brilliant blue and cold and clear. There are a few great swimming holes located right at the public access. No fishing took place, but we got our fill of swimming. Our youngest was so sunburnt, and I couldn’t find aloe anywhere in the town. I attribute swimming in that cold water with how quickly he healed up!
A friendly fellow swimmer offered us a tip on a spot deep enough to cannonball from a downed tree, and I wasn’t sure we would ever be able to drag our 7-year-old out of that river. Fortunately, we all got hungry enough that dinner was enough to draw everyone out of the water and back to the camper.
Our trip to the river refreshed us enough that after a quick dinner back at the camper, we decided to walk across the road and check out the Packwood Brewing Company. It was the 4th of July, spirits were high all around, and after our monster effort on the mountain that morning, our cold beers and sodas were especially refreshing and appreciated.
Back at the camper, I think it’s safe to say that Mount Rainier’s Skyline Trail gets the credit for our best night’s sleep of the entire trip so far.
