A beautiful day to be out at Mt Rainier, clear views all the way to the Olympics! I hiked a loop from the Paul Peak trailhead to the intersection with the Wonderland trail, to Mowich Lake, up to the Tolmie Lookout, and back out via the Grindstone Trail and Mowich Lake Road. It's a great loop this time of year, I saw no one all day and the trail conditions were quite good, snow easily passable, with the exception of deeper sections at and above Eunice Lake.

Road: I was happy to see that the road is open all the way to the Paul Peak Trailhead, the gate for winter closure is shortly past that. The road is very rough on the drive in, a car that can manage lots of potholes is a must. No snow at all to the trailhead (3,800').

Snow: Paul Peak trail is snow free. Intermittent snow as you approach Mowich lake starting at about 4,500' and consistent above 4,700'. On the trail before Mowich it's only 3-4" max, some slushy and some icy, and then 6-8" in the open areas at the campground and road at the lake. The hike up to Ipsut Pass is mostly snow covered, but once you climb above the lakeshore it's only a few inches on trail. Would be icy in colder temperatures, but I didn't need any traction today. So it ended up being a pretty easy going all the way up to Eunice Lake (5,400') where things changed and the snow got significantly deeper. Variable, but consistently 18-24" deep and constant postholing. So it was a slog up to the lookout for that last mile, and snowshoes would have made things a lot easier. But the trail was easy to follow and level enough that it wasn't risky, just a significant workout. Glad I had gaiters. Snow on the Mowich Lake Road started at about 4,200'. There were ski tracks up at Mowich Lake, but at the moment you'd need to carry them the first couple miles from the closure point before being able to use them.

Trail: Paul Peak Trail in excellent condition. Besides the snow described above, it was quite wet for sections above Ipsut Pass. And the Grindstone Trail is very mucky in sections right now. But I did fine with waterproof trail runners and gaiters for the snowy sections, plus poles.

The purpose of this report is to provide a better estimate of the elevation gain /loss on this trail.  The WTA description lists "900 ft" of gain from the TH to the junction with the Wonderland and return in 6.2 miles.  This is inaccurate.  The total gain is more like  about 2600 ft. (1000 on the way in, 1600 on the way out)  From the TH at about 3600 on the Mowich Road, the trail descends about 400 ft to a crossing of Meadow Creek (at 3200ft) then climbs to nearly 4200 around a shoulder before descending 1200ft to the junction with the Wonderland which is at about 3000ft.  Returning the same way, one must regain the 1200 ft, then descend to Meadow Creek crossing again, and then regain the 400 ft to get back to the TH.  Other hikers please check me on this.  I am using an older USGS map to read off the elevations.  I hiked it yesterday and have hiked it before.  My legs think it is definitely more than 900 ft! 

Super easy to find the trailhead as it's the first thing you come to once entering Mt. Rainier park via 165 from Carbonado.  As described in other trail reports the two vault toilets at the trailhead were immaculately clean and smelled pretty darn good, thank you park facilities persons!!  We hiked this on a Sunday with a late morning start, and I don't think I've ever been on a trail that was all to ourselves, both out and back.  If solitude is what you're looking for, this is the trail to be on. Pausing in the trail's rolling section, surrounded by storm downed trees and the distant call of a raven, was nearly a spiritual event.  We went the extra 0.6 miles on the Wonderland trail to have lunch along the Mowich River.  As described by others, the bridge rail over the river leans a bit too far out if you don't have long arms.  Wildlife included chipmunks, a foraging vole, and not one, but two garter snakes, just as described in the trail description.  On the long switchbacks the views of the mountain and river are amazing, when they're there to take in.  The trail was in great condition and no bugs.  So with all this going for it why is this trail not busier?  Could be the return hike back to the trail head.  The rolling section was a nice relief from the constant uphill trek and while not steep, it is a bit of work and this trail deserves its 'moderate" rating.   

I parked at the Paul Peak trailhead, which has a vault toilet, unattended fee station, and self-serve maps and visitor brochures. I went down the Paul Peak trail to the Wonderland junction, then southbound on Wonderland past South Mowich camp to an unceremonious turnaround point heading up the switchbacks on the way to Golden Lakes. This 10 mile out-and-back gave me just a hair under 2000' elevation gain.

Paul Peak is a fascinating trail. If you want utter solitude on a busy summer weekend and also want little to no trouble finding a place to park, this is the right place. Thanks in part to how steep it is, you get truly jaw-dropping views both of The Mountain and looking down the barrel of South Mowich River about 2 miles from the trailhead. Salal is trying to take over in some parts, but that also means that this could be a berry bonanza later this summer.

This is probably the shortest route to the Golden Lakes area if you don't have a Rayonier rec pass: it looks like there are some logging roads that sneak right up to the Park boundary near the top of the switchbacks. Alternatively, from Mowich Lake you're facing at least 1200' more gain compared to the Paul Peak trailhead; and you can assemble a shorter distance on trail from the south via Klapatche Point, but you'd have to be willing to get a Nisqually timed entrance permit and bike/run/hike all the way up the relatively boring Westside Road.

Just south of the Paul Peak/WLT junction, there is a moderately spicy footlog (pictured) over Mowich River. Some backcountry engineer has improvised a mid-span footing that sticks straight down into the riverbed, which effectively eliminates bouncing in this long structure, but the handrail may be out of reach for more petite trail users over the main channel of the river where the bridge is highest and taking a tumble would have the least pleasant consequences. Still usable, but take caution and consider what level of risk you're comfortable with. Check also for orange flags and cairns beyond the bridge as the current trail routing meanders on and off of the riverbed.

Mosquitoes are out, but I escaped with no bites thanks to being deet of arm and fleet of foot.

Upon arrival at the TH we were greeted by Bill Leggit, MRNP maintenance employee, who had just finished working on the restrooms, which were the cleanest I’ve ever seen. Thank you Bill! The trail was a great respite from the crowds and 4th of July fireworks. I expect this area, Carbon River/Mowich will soon see an increase in hikers with the onset of the permit system for Paradise and Sunrise. Get out and enjoy it now. Bunchberry and TwinFlower dot the forrest floor and Meadow Creek is full and flowing. Tomorrow, July 12th, the remainder of the road to Mowich Lake opens.