I set out on this hike in the early afternoon with my brother today. Reading that it was a "little known" trail appealed to me, as I enjoy the solitude that the lesser known hikes offer. The trail was in excellent shape, with no blowdowns or crazy obstacles. I definitely wouldn't consider this hike a "little known" hike, however, with all of the people we saw on it. We saw a few groups of hikers, but we encountered many cyclists (probably about 20 in all) coming down the trail as we were going up. If you do this hike, be prepared to jump out of the way for cyclists! We reached the Little Ranger Peak summit in about an hour and a half and were greeted with a pretty view but lots of clouds today. The peak offers great views, but to get the really good ones you have to risk your neck and climb down some rocks to a landing that is a little lower. I wouldn't recommend this hike to large parties, because there really isn't any room for more than 3 people to fit comfortably and safely out on that peak. We decided to continue on towards the Palisades trail, which offers many switchbacks and a good workout. We found the three sided log shelter that looks perfect for camping, at about 2 miles or so from Little Ranger Peak. We followed the trail about .5 miles farther, but the cloud coverage was very low and there was little to be seen.

After seeing this hike featured on this site thought I'd check it out. Directions weren't real great on finding the trailhead. I parked in a small clearing in the forest just south of Camp Sheppard (seeing 1 other car there). I actually was a little over a mile from the trailhead junction to Little Ranger Peak. If you want to start out right on the Little Ranger Peak trail, it is exactly across highway 410 from the Buck Creek R.A. aka FR 7160. Anyway, I ended up hiking an extra mile or so of the White River Trail which was ok as I hadn’t hiked this stretch before. I passed a lady & dog, a family, and 2 mt bikers on the White River Trail. I would pass no other people the rest of the day. The trail pretty much the whole way is in the forest. Lots of coralroot noted in the forest. The trail switchbacked up and eventually came to a junction with the spur to Little Ranger Peak (a short walk). The actual peak is a small rock outcropping which is hard to sit on but not too hard to scramble up & over to a more flat lookout where the view is better (despite what the guidebook states). It just involves negotiating a narrow ledge that must be scrambled to reach the flat perch - use caution. This would not be ideal for a large group as there's not a lot of space to sit nor would I let young kids run amok up there. The summit of Mt Rainier is visible thru the trees. The White River valley is the main view to the south. A few wildflowers on the rocks. Nice quiet spot for lunch. I returned to the trail fork and back to the car. Ended up doing more like 8 to 9 miles rather than the 6 listed for this trail. Will come back and explore further on Palisades trail in the future.

Me, John, and Liza rocked out this hike RT in 3 hours (2:18 moving, :44 stopped). Nice happy little forest, great trail tread. Trail is narrow but no foliage brushing against you. In fast, very little low-level bushes. Nice and open, the sounds of Ranger Creek rushing below. Nice view from the little peak, we stopped for a snack and to admire the view. Too cloudy to see Mount Rainier. Sun came out when we were on our way down. Nice trail! We only passed one mountain biker on the way down. Several folks hiking up as we were descending had dogs, most were on leashes.

We picked a drippy day to hike this beautiful mid-level forested trail to a viewpoint with no views but fog and firs. Trail is in great condition. Looks like lots of effort put into it recently. No snow, no mud, no blow-downs, no bugs. We saw two mountain bikers leaving as we started (it is shared with bike and horse riders, but not much evidence of either) and hiker with dog. Saprophytes and fungi coming up like it was early spring. The trail loops up at easy grades. Top viewpoint is at 3925 ft elevation, not nearly the 5K implied by the Hiking Guide. The wet rocky top is exposed and was slippery, with more alpine vegetation all of a sudden in the little opening. Nice, moderate level hike. Two easy paced hours up and about 50 minutes down. The access "about 30 miles from Enumclaw" listed in the Hiking Guide is actually from the upper Skookum Flats TH (not signed as "White River" TH). On SR 410, between mileposts 54 and 55, at signed US Forest Service "Buck Creek" turnoff on south side of road, cross the bridge, immediately turn left into Skookum Flats TH parking lot. N47 01.338 W121 32.128 el 2515' Walk back across bridge, cross 410, find an unsigned path angling up left from the road to White River trail 1199. Go right on 1199 to meet Little Ranger Cr trail.

Once again finding ourselves a little tight on time, we headed back out to 410 for a short hike up to a prominence known as Little Ranger Peak. Drawn to the promise of an expansive view of the White River Valley we packed up hoping the weather would be in a cooperative mood by the time we got to the top. With its gentle grade and quick rewards, take this little hike up to a rocky prominence if you’re short on time. Be aware that you may be sharing the trail with mountain bikers and be prepared to give them a little room – the trail is much more challenging on a bike! And, as a word of caution, clambering all the way out to the viewpoint can be dangerous, especially if the rocks are slick with moisture. Use caution if you decide to risk the scramble. For the full report, check out: http://www.hikingwithmybrother.com/2011/06/little-ranger-peak.html Jer