Went for a "long" day hike aiming for Little Ranger Peak on Saturday. Got to the trailhead a few minutes before 9am to only two other cars at the TH. Rain turned to snow at approximately 3,000'. Falls were roaring and very beautiful.

Some light snow on the trail before the second lookout, no spikes needed as the grade is pretty mild. Had to cross a snowfield between the second and third lookout which I put on spikes for - no postholing though. Got a little softer once the sun came out on the way back but still passable without sinking. After the snowfield the trail was all snow but fairly easy to follow even though I was the first to go that far that day. The third lookout was absolutely gorgeous though Rainier was not visible due to low clouds.

I continued on past the third lookout to a couple more viewpoints which were also stunning looking out over the valley which 410 runs through. After the final lookout once the trail turns away from the cliffside and begins to ascend to Little Ranger Peak the snow got much deeper and I had to turn back about 300 vertical feet from the top of Little Ranger Peak as I did not have my snowshoes and the trail essentially disappeared.

As I descended the sun came out and there was steam rising off the mosses - very beautiful and a tranquil thing to experience.

Ran into a few people coming up on the way back down but trail was largely empty for a Saturday. 

Gaia clocked 12.0 miles, 2,600' elevation at 4hr51min.

LOST: One OR gaiter fell off my brother's backpack. Please leave a comment below if you find it.

We did not make it all the way to Little Ranger Peak, but we did follow the trail to the former location of the Ranger Creek shelter and then hung a right towards Dalles Ridge and Noble Knob.

Snow began a few hundred feet below the shelter. We put on spikes soon after the snow appeared, took them off while crossing some rocks along Dalles Ridge (past the high point), and never bothered to put them back on.  The snow felt a little less slippery on the descent. We carried snowshoes and crampons and did not need either.

No significant obstacles. No impassable blowdowns, though there is a large one early in the trail that will force you to walk through some hanging branches. Overall, the snow level was very high and the amount of snow felt very low. I hope we get a few more big dumps before it's too late.

Loop is definitely doable though I suggest only doing it if you are familiar with the general route. There were no tracks to follow along the ridge or the snowy section of Ranger Peak trail. We suggest going up Ranger Peak trail and down Palisades, since the snow is heavier on that side so would have been easier to go up. Microspikes a must. Snowshoes not necessary as of this post—only a few inches on the ridge so our high top boots mostly stayed above it. Maybe gaiters. Poles were helpful too. 

Hiking buddy, Ron, and I paid a first-time visit to the Ranger Creek trail, spending a worthwhile day climbing up to catch the splendid views on the summit of Ranger Peak. Our trek was made all the more pleasant and uplifting by the sunny skies and balmy temperatures that prevailed all day.

Passage on the bare trail was quick and easy except for occasional fallen trees which were easy to step over. We paid a quick visit to the viewpoint at 3850 feet. Beyond 4350 feet, snow covered the ground. We continued our upward traverse following the barely perceptible contours of the trail and numerous deer and elk tracks. By this time, we had put on microspikes which were ideal traction aid for the dense, supportive snow. (We found one lost microspike on the way up and another on the way down. We left both hanging on stumps next to the trail). As we neared the top of the ridge, the forest acquired the eerie signature of the 2017 Norse Peak fire.

Three hours had elapsed when we arrived at the top of the ridge and the junction with the Palisades trail. After a quick break, we headed southwest through the open, burnt out forest on untracked snow. Though it caught more sunlight, the snow on the ridge remained dense and supportive, and travel across its surface was quick and easy. In less than an hour, we scampered up to the summit for a 30 minute immersion in breathtaking views.

On our return trip, we saved ourselves nearly two miles by taking three off-trail jaunts down the slope. We saw just one person at the end of our day. This hike is about 10 miles round trip and 2600 feet of elevation gain. Regarding the trailhead, (this is written for those who haven’t been here yet), there’s no prominent sign on Hwy 410 so it can be hard to find. Coming from Enumclaw, about 500 feet before the Ranger Airport road, you can see a small sign 60 feet uphill on the north side of Hwy 410. A social trail runs from the highway up to the trail. When you get to the sign, it will indicate you’re on the White River trail. An arrow points right towards the Ranger Creek trail 1/4 mile away. 

Downright springlike today on the Little Ranger Peak trail! It was 35 degrees and sunny at 10:20 a.m., and it remained sunny all day. (We arrived a bit late due to traffic). We parked in the Camp Sheppard lot as per our usual modus operandi. Outhouses were kinda grody in the a.m. (no T.P., seats not looking like anything I'd place my posterior on), but by our exit at 3:30, someone had restocked the facilities. We hoped to reach the Palisades/Ranger Peak junction today (Dalles Ridge seemed like a pipe dream), but we only made it about one mile past the Little Ranger Peak viewpoint (2 miles shy of Dalles Ridge), due to snow. Our route was White River trail to the L.R. Peak trail, then up that and past the Little Ranger Peak viewpoint towards Dalles Ridge. We turned around on the 8th switchback past the viewpoint, about 30 minutes of hiking or a bit more than a mile on. RT was 11.7 miles.

Conditions: almost zero snow from the parking lot to the LR viewpoint. There's some packed ice and snow right as you start off from the parking lot, but it disappears after about 200 feet. Neither of us used poles or spikes today--no need. Beyond Little Ranger viewpoint, there were intermittent splotches of ice, which seem to have dropped from the treetops. At about the fifth switchback (beyond the viewpoint), snow dusted the trail. Then, blam! Snow was a thing (see pic). The trail was covered, and we decided we'd had a good hike already, so headed back down to the pleasant little viewpoint for lunch. The viewpoint was sunny and dry, and we basked like sun bears on the rocks.

There were about 6-8 blow-downs along the way today, but all of then were easily navigated. If we had continued up towards Dalles Ridge, we definitely would have donned spikes. I would not continue further than we did today of you are not familiar with the trail or have route-finding skills.

Happy hiking , Everyone!