Hiking the Naches Loop

It was a beautiful morning. The sun was out and the mountain was glorious with fresh snow against clear bule skies. What a great day for a hike at the mountain!

We pulled up to Tipsoo Lake prepared to hike the Naches Loop. At 8AM this Friday morning, the parking lot was mostly empty. We exited the truck and were greeted with the sweet, distinct, fresh smell that lets you know you are on the mountain.

The Naches Loop trail is a 3.2 mile round trip hike with an elevation gain of around 600 feet. It’s a great place to see the Mount Rainier wild flowers and has some stellar views of the mountain.

It’s also a great alternative if you want to spend a day at Mount Rainier National Park but couldn’t get a reservation for entry.

We took the trail clockwise so that on our way back we would be facing the wonderful mountain views. We also enjoyed the abundance of low bush huckleberries that growing along the trail. Most of the berries are hidden on the underside of the leaves, but you can smell the berries when you are near a patch. One year we saw a bear – in the distance – enjoying the berries. Not this year though.

We paused at the top to sit for a while and take in the view. What a gorgeous mountain! We were approached by several critters. They were looking for food and weren’t the least bit shy around people.

The trail takes you past a couple of small lakes. When the air is calm, they are very reflective, and this was one of those days. More photo ops!

We took our time. Enjoying the views, Enjoying the company. When we got back to the truck the parking lot was full and overflowing. This is a very popular hike, and I can see why.

On to the next adventure.