One Night Wilderness: Portland. Douglas Lorain

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      Mount Rainier over Indian Henrys Hunting Ground, Mount Rainier National Forest

      You are now smack in the middle of Indian Henrys Hunting Ground, a spectacular mountain meadow with acres of colorful wildflowers, several tiny ponds, a small ranger cabin, and some of the most photogenic views of Mt. 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 for 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 Mt. Rainier.

      Since there is nowhere to camp on Pyramid Peak, 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 for 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 for about 0.8 mile to a high, often windy saddle north of the peak, where you will enjoy up-close-and-personal views of Mt. 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 monkeyflowers, western anemones, grass-of-Parnassus, and other wildflowers. There are also great views to the west of Pyramid Peak and northeast to Mt. Rainier, which has a rather lopsided appearance from this angle. More distant views extend to the south and southeast of the Tatoosh Range, Mt. Adams, the Goat Rocks, and Mt. 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 of the waterfalls and enjoy the excellent scenery.

      6 Indian Bar and Cowlitz Park

      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. Although it is usually possible to obtain a permit for Cowlitz Park, 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

      Leave Interstate 5 north of Vancouver, Washington at Exit 68 and travel 72 miles east on U.S. Highway 12 to a junction with State Highway 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.

      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 1500 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 forest for 1 mile to a grassy knoll where you gain the first really nice views of the hike. From this point you can see Mt. 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.

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