Summerland Allows Quick Access of Mt. Rainier Slopes

I have spent most of the summer roaming and recreating the forests and beaches of the Olympic Peninsula. Desperate to be back in the high mountains as the calendar turned mid-July, I heard about a trail at Mt. Rainier that was free of snow and open for exploration.

Heather displays color on the slopes of Mt. Rainier at Summerland.

Summerland is just around my two-hour drive definition of local playground equipment. The easiest way to access the area is drive 7 miles east of Packwood on Highway 12 and then urn north on Highway 123. When you arrive at the park road towards Sunrise Visitor Center take a left turn. You will drive by the Park Service entrance station where they will require an entry fee and then drive for three more miles to Fryingpan Creek.

A dense population of Glacier Lily resides along the Wonderland Trail in Mt. Rainier National Park. Summerland is one of many meadows that will feature amazing wildlower displays in the next few weeks.

The trail starts across the road from a small parking area and then proceeds on an incredibly gentle grade adjacent to Fryingpan Creek. The forest changes and those hikers that need instant gratification get occasional views of the Tahoma Ridge to the south. On my trip, the change into occasional meadow growth accented the scents of the seasons sojourn. In reality, the first 3/4 of the trail is incredibly easy. The last mile from the bridge over Fryingpan Creek to the plateau on Mt. Rainier's eastern flank is the only section that is even remotely challenging as the trail switchbacks up the ridge.

Little Tahoma towers over the Wonderland Trail and early season flowers on July 15th.

By doing the math, the total mileage from trailhead to the heavenly views as Summerland equals just over 4 miles. The overall ratio of effort to world class scenery made me feel downright guilty.

The Wonderland Trail continues towards Panhandle Gap from Summerland in Mt. Rainier National Park.

Summerland is famous as a location to watch the large mountain rodents known as Marmots. On our trip, we spent several hours among the talus slopes above the meadow, but not a marmot to be found. Of course part of the problem was that were there during nap time. On warm days, Marmots will be active in the morning and then again in the evening all the while snoozing through the heat of the day.

Clearly, those camping at Summerland have a clear advantage. If you would like to spend the night and dwaddle about the ridge, watching marmots and perhaps the sun set over Goat Island Ridge contact the National Park Service at Mt. Rainier. You can reserve one of the six secluded sites at Summerland. A couple of the sites are available on a first come, first serve basis.

A mountain stream flows through Summerland in Mt. Rainier National Park.

No matter how long you plan to stay, be sure to visit a place dominated by winter but named after the fair season.

Mt. Rainier National Park, An Accidential Urban Experience

Sunday morning, I realized why I am so careful about where and when I visit certain places in the Cascades. Mt. Rainier National Park on a beautiful Sunday afternoon was going to be costly.


Now call me snobbish, but you have to laugh! A fifteen minute wait because nobody has cash and everyone uses credit cards, at the entrance gate just to show off my annual pass. Every pull-out and trailhead was full of vehicles. Then there is the stop and go traffic while trying to find a parking space at Paradise. Next there are the numbers of people gawking at the power of Mt. Rainier above from the security of pavement and concrete at the visitor center. This time I didn’t even try to negotiate the poorly arranged gift shop that resembled a crowded retail outlet on December 23rd.

For someone that sees as much trail and serenity as I do, it was comical.

Among them, there are the National Park Visitors that I learned to respect so much. They are the ones that ask questions at their intellectual peril, they seek knowledge about our great natural places and are the ones that seek experience beyond the shallow tourist shops and windows. Most likely, those were the vehicles at the trailheads.



It was a reminder to me about the choices and values that I have. I am hoping that land managers continue to carefully plan for our most valued landscapes. The rumors that special places like Mt. Rainier had fallen out of fashion are clearly false. The true outdoor experience is missing for those that don’t seek it. Perhaps, this is what should be planned into every visit to a National Park; an accidental wilderness experience.

Spontaneous Camping Is Endangered

You would have thought that 15 years working around some of the most popular natural attractions on the west coast that I would have learned. To even think that you could leave your house at 2:00pm on a Saturday in mid-July and expect to find a campsite in our near one of our nation’s premier National Parks was foolish.

This is the story that led to our ride on the Mt Rainier Scenic Railroad. I just wanted to be somewhere other than home. We have been home all week. Let’s do something and if done right, it may only cost $15 plus gas.

As we entered Mt. Rainier National Park, we clearly saw the signs that all stated “All Campgrounds full”. Good call on their part; bad on my part, although it was not completely unanticipated. My plan had a back-up. We turned around and headed into the neighboring National Forest. At Big Creek Campground, the gate was partially closed with a sign that read, you guessed it, “Campground Full”.

Eagle Peak at sunset.

Now we were headed east on Skate Creek Road toward Packwood where I would check to see if La Wis Wis Campground shared a similar condition and to a final option at a private campground in the area.

As it turned out, dispersed camping saved my stern once again. Driving along, I noticed an intriguing pull-out that had a van in it, but no tents or sign of an active camp. When I pulled in, I asked the folks if they were camping and I was returned a rather unusual “you are crazy” look and the reply I was hoping for.

Our campsite was beautiful along side the Nisqually River right next to a sign that indicated we were as close to being in the National Park without actually being in it. We had several hundred yards of beach to enjoy, and at one point, I dipped my feet into the river which I am sure was inside the National Park.

Jared, Laurie and Kyle at our campsite next to the Nisqually River.

Now, unlike hundreds of cars that pass by that little nothing pull-out along Skate Creek Road, it now means something to us. We were intimate with another small piece of ground in Western Washington. It was far better than another summer evening spent in front of a television and oh ya, it only cost us gas!

While I was able to make good on one of my freedoms; the ability to leave, relatively unplanned and find a place in the woods where I can set up camp it is rapidly becoming a thing of the past Adjacent to the outdoor recreation-crazy populations of Seattle and Portland, it is tough to do. Reservations for a piece of ground on public lands are becoming widespread and to the determent of those inclined to be spontaneous.
The Nisqually River and Eagle Peak.