Reminder that dogs are not allowed inside Mt Rainier National Park and please stay on trail to preserve and protect the meadows and the lake shore! NPS Site

Ever since moving to Washington and discovering the beauty of their forests and alpine lakes, Naches Peak Loop has been on my bucket list! I'm happy to say I can cross it off now. But I will be back time and time again to do this delightful, breathtaking hike.

To beat the crowds, we left from Seattle to arrive at Tipsoo Lake Parking Lot at 9ish am. Most of the lot was empty! I recommend bringing toilet paper with you, just in case. The weather was predicted to be mostly sunny with a high of 64. 

We started clockwise from Tipsoo Lake. The path will loop you around the lake and then take you uphill until leveling out. The trail itself is very well maintained and easy to handle. I saw a lot of off-trail paths on the way, as well as a section of meadow that was trodden on and crushed flowers. We saw a few people take a step off the trail onto the meadow just to get a better picture. Trust me, it is not worth it for the long-term damage inflicted on this delicate environment. I believe we have already caused a lot of harm to this world; let's do our best to preserve and protect what still exists.

I lack words to capture and describe the beauty I saw during this hike. We saw a river of Lupine, Aster, Paintbrush and Monkeyflower washing over the meadow. I highly, highly recommend downloading the Mount Rainier Wildflower bulletin to identify the plethora of flowers you will see along this hike! We met so many friendly people on this early morning hike :)

About 2 miles in, we took a detour down to Dewey Lake to extend the hike and have lunch! Before you go down to Dewey, there is a viewpoint on Naches Loop Trail overlooking these lakes. Gives you an idea of how far down you're going! I think it was a pretty moderate hike with a steady incline/decline. The bugs are pretty bad in some parts near the lake but when we stopped to sit and eat, we didn't have an issue. The view was so serene and peaceful. A nice pause from the bustle of Loop trail.

After an hour or so, we headed back up to finish the loop. Mount Rainier was shy today and hid behind the clouds, but that did not detract from this beautiful hike; it only added to mystery and grandiosity of the mountain.

1. I hiked this hike on August 14 th and it was an amazing hike beautiful flowers lots of lupine, paint brush and other flowers! I lost my North Cascades hat that day and it was seen there five days later my good friend made this hat for me so I was hoping that if anyone found it they would let me know. I posted this message in Washington Hikers and someone responded but they left the hat on trail where they saw it I went back on August 28 th and the hat was not on the trail. I would be willing to pay shipping expenses if someone had it and would ship it to me.  Thanks 

We started early, around 9 AM because it was predicted to be in the 90's. The trail was dusty, the lupin were blooming and filling the air with their scent. The berries (Vaccinium deliciosum" common names Cascade Bilberry, Cascade blueberry and blueleaf huckleberry) were still green on the North side of the peak, but by the time you turn the corner to the South side, we had our containers out for picking. The berries were a flavor burst, dust and all! It was a busy trail, if you are looking for solitude, but has the best views of Rainier.

The trail is well maintained. There were mosquitoes but manageable if you apply big spray. Lots of wildflowers making this one of the prettiest trails.

A must-see in every season! Unbelievable crowds, so go really early or on a weekday. The wildflowers are spectacular right now! Pro tip: Always carry your own TP in your car. Pit toilets are in bad shape due to staff reductions. Please clean up after yourself.  Check out my video: https://youtu.be/BCsHQcgVlV0?si=u0rSVYc3fvT_zYxj