I’m heading out on 55+ miles of the Wonderland Trail in less than 2 weeks, and wanted to test my endurance on a long and hard day hike just to know I’ve got what it takes!
Owyhigh Lakes in the White River area of Mt. Rainier is beautiful, and is an excellent place to see a large variety of wildflowers. It’s a worthy destination in and of itself, with Governor’s Ridge as a backdrop — 7.5 miles and 1650 feet of elevation gain/loss over a very well maintained trail to get out and back.
We like to continue on along the trail as if we were heading toward Hwy 123, and head up to a gorgeous saddle/viewpoint with stunning views of Mt. Rainier/Tahoma, Goat Island Mountain, Fryingpan Creek, the Summerland area, and the Cowlitz Chimneys. We could go even higher, but getting to the incredible open space at the saddle is so spectacular that we don’t feel the need to go further. The last 3/4 mile has over 1000 feet of elevation gain… Steep and not for anyone with vertigo or a fear of heights.
Along the way is a gorgeous view of the Goat Rocks area and Mt. Adams to the south. The last mile of trail is very exposed, steep, and hot. And guaranteed to make your heart pound and your breath quicken. But totally worth it. This is a place to linger, to have a picnic lunch, settle in, and simply let the views soak in.
Overall 10 miles and 2700 feet of elevation gain/loss. No numbers I can assign to the incredible views, they’re priceless 🙂