2 Trails to Hike in Mt Rainier National Park at Sunrise
Mt Rainier National Park has a few entrances. I visited their Sunrise Location and that’s where we spent our time. Today I will be sharing the 2 trails you can hike at the Sunrise Location.
Note: Sunrise Road does close late fall through late spring. This is a great summer hiking area.
Mt Fremont Lookout Trail
This trail is a total of 5.7 miles to-and-back. It is mostly an open trail. You will walk through mostly meadows and rocks. There is a couple section on the trail where you’re walking through rocks.
The trail is well marked and has a lot of foot traffic so you’ll run into other hikers.
I would consider this trail moderate, but on the lower end of moderate. There is a constant incline but nothing too strenuous. There were families with kids on this trail.
You will get an amazing view of Mt Rainier from all angles through this trail.
You will see the lookout once you hit the last half mile up the mountain.
At the lookout you will get an amazing close-up view of Mt Rainier. It is truly spectacular!
You will also get a 360 view of the entire national park with all the mountain ranges. We were able to also see other mountains like Mt Baker and Mt Stuart which was amazing!
You may even spot some mountain goats on this trail! We saw a herd of them in the meadows.
Highly recommend this hike!
Bring plenty of water. Once you’re at the lookout, take a break, enjoy the view, and eat your snacks/food. Just remember, don’t feed the wild animals!
Palisades Lake Trail
This trail is roughly 7 miles long (depending on whether you stop by the lakes or not. Stopping by the lakes will add to the duration/length of trail).
This is a hike that will take you through 5 alpine lakes. It has a completely different feel than Mt Fremont. Palisades is all in the woods. On a hot day, there may be bugs so make sure to dress appropriately and bring plenty of bug spray!
The trail is well marked, but there isn’t that much foot traffic. You may run into a few people here and there.
I will consider this trail moderate. It is most definitely not easy. It is doable and not extremely strenuous either. There are a lot of inclines there and back.
Make sure to stop by the lakes. They are absolutely beautiful.
Make sure to take in all the views. You may be in the woods but there are pockets of opened areas where you will see all the mountain ranges and layers. It’s absolutely stunning. This trail you are walking in the opposite direction of Mt Rainier so it won’t necessarily be in view throughout the hike.
Highly recommend making your way to Hidden Lake. It’s a tough hike up the incline, but it’s so worth it! Hidden Lake is truly beautiful.
Because this trail is in the woods, I recommend bringing bear spray with you. We didn’t see any, but there were hikers who did and told us about it.
Bring plenty of water. Take the breaks you need and enjoy this trail! It’s absolutely beautiful. The lakes are so blue and clear.
These are 2 trails to check out if you’ll be at Sunrise. At Sunrise Visitor Center you will find restrooms and a gift and snack shop that has food you can purchase. It’s truly a beautiful area to stop by. I see why it’s a huge attraction to locals and tourist alike.
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