Well, I came back 4 weeks later. The blowdowns above Dick Creek have been cleared. The trail is snow free all the way to the Moraine Creek crossing. The lower part of Moraine Park has more snow than the upper. There were good boot tracks to follow. Once you hit the upper stretches of Moraine Park the snow is gone. There was hardly any snow on the trail above the park. The lake was beautiful. Saw tons of marmots in the park. I saw a big bear near the Mystic Lake Ranger Station. I calculated about 26 miles total from the Carbon River entrance and back. There were lots of berries along the old road.

Made it up to Moraine Park today. I am guessing it is about 23 miles roundtrip from the entrance to the park. The hike is free and clear all the way to Dick Creek Camp. Above the camp, there are a few blowdowns, but they are easy enough to get around. There are a few patches of snow as you climb too. Once you get a little below the Moraine Creek crossing, however, the snow becomes constant. I was able to get right below the ridge separating the park from Mystic Lake.

A gorgeous day to explore Mt. Rainier's Moraine Park! The park is just waking up from a sleepy, snowy winter and everything is so beautiful and alive! We started out around 10am and headed into up the Ipsut Trail to the Carbon Glacier Suspension bridge. Snow is clear past Dick Creek camp and up to the small waterfall crossing on the trail right before the long, gradual ascent into Moraine Park. We encountered several patches of snow getting into the park- but nothing you couldn't walk through and find the trail again. Moraine Park is snow free and spectacular! The views and the park were stellar. One person in our group encountered a bear on the trail between the park and Dick Creek camp- a young bear.. but no mama in sight. Two people we met coming from Mystic Lake said there were two bear just up over the ridge. All in all.. a wonderful day.

What a fantastic day for a hike! The idea was to simply get out to stretch the legs, with any views being a bonus. And boy were they! The Carbon River Road is driveable with a high clearance vehicle, but I would not recommend the family sedan due to very rough road. This washout is in the same vicinity as a couple of years ago, but much more severe. In one stretch the road is down to one lane for several hundred yards and looks like it is about to fall into the imposing and undercutting creek. Signs are posted in this section basically saying ""Drive at your own risk"". The trail up to the suspension bridge and beyond is in excellent shape. Snow begins consistently just below Dick's Camp, ~4,200', though there are some snow patches to cross just before. Still the trail is obvious and the snow firm to about 5,000', where snow shoes were needed due to deep, soft snow. We climbed to the moraine at ~5,400 and looked down on the massive Carbon Glacier, across to Echo Rock and Ptarmigan Ridge, and up to The Mountain and the impressive Willis Wall. We lounged on the rocks and enjoyed the views and warm sun for about an hour and a half. Avalanches were continuous, though mostly comming off the lower Russell Glacier, not Willis Wall. Eventually clouds began to overtake Old Desolate and we deemed it time to get off our lazy butts and begin our retreat. We descended into the clouds that had crept up the Carbon River valley, experiencing mist and a few sprinkles just before arriving at the car. Time up: 5 hrs. Time down: 2 hrs. Don Geyer dongeyer@mountainscenes.com

We hiked from Ipsut Creek Campground to the Carbon Glacier and up the Wonderland Trail to Moraine Park. The road was snow-free, as was the trail up to about 4,000 ft. (well above the glacier). The trail up along the glacier is rough and rocky much of the way. At 5,500 feet, Moraine Park had about 4-5 in. of snow - enough for a wintry appearance. We noted that the Carbon River crossing for the Windy Gap Trail seems to be washed out. Hiking time was 5 hours up, and 4 hours down, at a leisurely pace. Three other parties were seen above the glacier, several more along the river.