One Night Wilderness: Portland. Becky Ohlsen
several tiny ponds, a small ranger cabin, and some of the most photogenic views of Mount Rainier in the entire park. You turn left at the junction, almost immediately pass a spur trail to the ranger cabin, and 0.2 mile later come to a junction with the Mirror Lakes Trail. Turn right and gradually ascend 0.7 mile in rolling, wildflower-filled meadows to shallow Mirror Lake. Asahel Curtis made this view famous when he painted it for a postage stamp commemorating the national park in 1934. The scene is just as impressive today.
The trail rounds the right side of the tiny lake and then goes 100 yards to a sign saying END OF MAINTAINED TRAIL. Despite its now unofficial status, the trail remains very good and easy to follow as it climbs 0.4 mile and then descends a bit to a meadow-filled saddle with a great view of aptly named Pyramid Peak to the northeast. From here the trail continues to the top of Pyramid Peak, where you’ll enjoy an absolutely out-of-this-world view of nearby Mount Rainier.
There is nowhere to camp on Pyramid Peak, so backpackers should go instead to Pyramid Park, a more-difficult-to-reach but equally spectacular destination. To reach it, follow the trail toward Pyramid Peak from the meadowy saddle about 0.3 mile, and then go cross-country to the left, angling moderately steeply uphill to a rocky, above-timberline ledge on the northeast side of Pyramid Peak. Follow this rugged ledge about 0.8 mile to a high, often windy saddle north of the peak, where you will enjoy up-close-and-personal views of Mount Rainier that are so incredible the word great just doesn’t do them justice.
From this rocky saddle you scramble steeply downhill, going southeast across boulder fields, meadows, and scree slopes to the rolling meadowlands, springs, and tree islands of Pyramid Park. Tall but unnamed waterfalls drop into and off the edge of this alpine parkland, while the banks of the gently meandering creeks that cross the flats are choked with yellow monkey flower, western anemone, grass-of-Parnassus, and other wildflowers. There are also great views west of Pyramid Peak and northeast to Mount Rainier, which has a rather lopsided appearance from this angle. More distant views extend to the south and southeast, of the Tatoosh Range, Mount Adams, the Goat Rocks, and Mount St. Helens. You can camp almost anywhere in this parkland, although, as always, you should select a rocky or sandy area that is well away from the delicate alpine wildflowers and grasses. If you schedule more than one night here, you can visit all the waterfalls and enjoy the excellent scenery.
Hike to the top of Pyramid Peak for incredible views of Mount Rainier.
photo by Douglas Lorain
| 6 | Indian Bar and Cowlitz Park |
| RATINGS | Scenery 9 Difficulty 8 Solitude 2 |
| ROUND-TRIP DISTANCE | 15 miles to Indian Bar; 16 miles to Cowlitz Park |
| ELEVATION GAIN | 4,000' to Indian Bar; 3,900' to Cowlitz Park |
| OPTIONAL MAP | Green Trails Mount Rainier East (No. 270) |
| USUALLY OPEN | Late July–mid-September |
| BEST TIME | Late July–mid-September |
| AGENCY | Mount Rainier National Park, nps.gov/mora |
| PERMIT | Required. All cars must also display an entry permit for the national park. Reservations are strongly advised: Mount Rainier National Park makes only 30% of its backcountry permits available on a first-come, first-serve basis. The rest are for hikers who made advance reservations. Because obtaining a permit for popular areas, especially on summer weekends, is extremely difficult, it is highly recommended that you reserve a permit in advance. Reservations are accepted starting on March 15, through the online request system only; you cannot make a reservation over the phone. The cost is $20 per group and is nonrefundable. To obtain a reservation form and for further information, go to nps.gov/mora/ planyourvisit/ wilderness-permit.htm. |
Highlights
One of the classic beauty spots in Mount Rainier National Park, Indian Bar is a fairly small but spectacular basin of abundant wildflowers, streaking waterfalls, and outstanding mountain scenery. There may be no more beautiful location in the Pacific Northwest backcountry. Unfortunately, there are only a handful of designated backpacker campsites at Indian Bar, and the place is justifiably popular, so it can be very hard to get a permit. Apply for a reserved permit well in advance, although even then it helps to be lucky.
For those willing to put in the extra time and effort required to visit a cross-country area, however, there is another option. Not far southwest of Indian Bar sits the off-trail camping zone of Cowlitz Park, a rolling land of alpine meadows, wildflowers, and numerous waterfalls. Although Cowlitz Park is harder to reach, it actually has a better view of the mountain than does Indian Bar. It is usually possible to obtain a permit for Cowlitz Park, but it is not a sure thing. The park currently allows only three parties a night to stay there, so it is often full as well, especially on weekends. Have an alternate plan in mind.
Getting There
From I-5, 67 miles north of Vancouver, Washington, take Exit 68 and travel 72 miles east on US 12 to a junction with WA 123, about 7.5 miles past the town of Packwood. Turn left, following signs to Mount Rainier National Park, and drive a little over 5 miles to a junction with Stevens Canyon Road. Turn left, immediately passing through an entrance station for the park, and drive 10 miles to the Box Canyon Trailhead, just before a bridge over Muddy Fork Cowlitz River.
GPS COORDINATES N46° 45.937' W121° 38.088'
Hiking It
The trail departs from the north side of the road across from the parking lot and soon comes to a junction with the Wonderland Trail. It is worthwhile to turn left here and make a 0.2-mile side trip to check out Box Canyon, an extremely narrow cleft where the waters of the Muddy Fork Cowlitz River shoot through a steep-sided gorge.
After the short side trip, return to the junction and follow the Wonderland Trail as it gradually ascends a mostly forested hillside and then loses a little elevation before coming to a bridged crossing of Nickel Creek at 0.8 mile. There is a designated backpacker camping area on the left. The sites here are pleasant, but the camp area has poor drainage, so it tends to turn into a shallow lake after a hard rain.
After crossing Nickel Creek you make a long, switchbacking, generally viewless climb that gains some 1,500 feet in 2 miles to a junction with the Olallie Creek Trail at a wooded pass atop Cowlitz Divide. Keep left on the Wonderland Trail and climb in the forest 1 mile to a grassy knoll where you gain the first really nice views of the hike. From this point you can see Mount Rainier to the northwest as well as the rugged Cowlitz Chimneys to the north and down into the heavily forested Ohanapecosh Valley to the east. To the southwest is the jagged Tatoosh Range.
The trail’s next section is wildly scenic as it descends to a saddle and then goes up and down (mostly up), never straying far from the top of Cowlitz Divide. The route is a mix of meadows and partial forest with frequent views that continue to improve as you get closer to the park’s massive, glacier-clad centerpiece. Wildlife is common in this area. Look for black bears, elk, deer, and a variety of mountain birds. At 6.1 miles you come to the top of a knoll where the views of Mount Rainier are absolutely spectacular. With wildflowers in the foreground and trees framing the scene, this is a favorite spot to photograph the mountain. You can also look south to distant Mount Adams. From the knoll, the trail makes a moderately steep descent, following a ridgeline to the northwest 0.4 mile before leveling out in a rolling meadow.
If you are headed for Cowlitz Park, leave the trail at this meadow and go left (almost due west) through mostly open, rolling terrain. The hiking isn’t overly difficult, but as with all cross-country travel, your progress will be