This is a challenging day hike. We are experienced hikers but spend much of our time on trails near the Mountain Loop Highway. This hike was just a whole different level of difficulty. Some thoughts on what we learned: --get to the trail head early. I miscalculated the drive time and, as a result, we started after 10:30am. That was at least 90 minutes too late as we finished in pitch-black darkness. The best approach would be to come the day before and stay at Mowich Lake so you can leave bright and early --Allow some extra time at Spray Park as the photo ops are virtually endless --Extensive talus fields coming down from Spray Park. This will tire ankles --Part of the trail is washed out, requiring you to cross the Carbon River on the suspension bridge. It is rather like walking on a springy tightrope with cables to hold on to. If you have a terrible fear of heights as I do, I recommend singing loudly as you cross. This gives your brain something to do other than think about falling to your death --Don't skimp on the 10 Essentials on this one. You are in a very remote place! Though my husband brought a headlamp, I did not. Very dumb as we did the last 2 hours (including that horrid climb up Ipsut Pass) in darkness --Carry a green trails map with you. You never know when the trail will be washed out somewhere and you need to understand the re-route Doing this route in two days would have been a good workout but pleasant. As a one-day, it is a grind but if a grind is what you are looking for, the Spray Park Loop will not disappoint.

This was one of the most beautiful hikes I have ever been on. The mountain views are incredible. I would not recommend this hike for small children unless they've done hard hikes before as there are a lot of switch backs and it gets pretty steep. I paced myself fairly well and was able to do it without much trouble, but my boyfriend kept on trying to walk fast and struggled. If you keep walking up the trail past Spray Park you get to see more amazing mountain views, which I really recommend doing if you feel up to it. We walked a total of 14 miles and got to see a really cool view of the mountains. I would recommend going on a sunny day as you can see the views easier.

First part of the hike (Spray Park) was the most beautiful place I have ever visited. It's a gem, and the hike up and back down (8 miles) will be enough to brighten a bad day, and it's a good workout on its own. Coming down from Spray Park I was notified of a black bear (no Grizzlies in Rainier) and apparently a cub. I whistled and made noise with my trekking poles the whole way down, and didn't see them. Don't be afraid of bears! Just make some noise to let them know you are near. The black bears around here are more afraid of us. The Second Half: I was in over my head. After crossing the suspension bridge for the detour, take a left, you'll be going downstream and will eventually cross back across water 3 times. Log bridges are in place. Follow the cairns through the dry part of the river bed. In what seems like forever, you'll reach the beginning of Ipsut pass. I got here around 3:45. Any hikers I passed looked at me in disbelief when I asked "how far to the top?". When nearing the pass, you won't see any pass. You'll see a wall of mountain. Don't cry. Eat a meal, eat some carbs. Take some breaks. You can do it. There are dangerously steep portions here where the gravel can get unstable. Be careful. I started at Mowich at 9:39 and returned at around 6:30. Trekking poles, at least 3L of water, 10 essentials and 4wd required for this one. I also wish I'd started earlier. A big congratulations if you finish this one. There's only one way to go when you're tired after all: forward.

The road leading up to Mowich is a bit rough - it is a gravel road with some potholes that takes around an hour to drive up, but if you take your time you should be fine. We began our hike at 8:00am at Mowich Lake at the trailhead for Tolmie Peak and started around the lake counter clockwise. We continued on toward Spray Park and got some great photos from Eagle Cliff Viewpoint. We took the .2 mile detour (roundtrip) to check out Spray Falls which is a pretty spot. Then we arrived at Spray Park at around 10:20am where we took some gorgeous pictures of Mt. Rainier. The bugs in this area were pretty bad but the views of the mountain were incredible and wildflowers were in bloom as well. Afterwards we walked on to Seattle Park where we took more photos of Carbon Glacier and the mountain. We trekked through a little snow but it was not hard to pass. We found a nice spot on some boulders next to mossy streams to take a break and have lunch. Bugs in this area were also not the best but you could see amazing views of the mountain on one side and Cataract Valley on the other. Around 12:00pm we started our descent and this took much longer than we anticipated. For those who have knee problems, be aware of the constant descent through this portion, you may need to take some breaks. There are areas where you can run down the trail to make for a speedier descent. At 1:00pm we made it to the Suspension Bridge to cross Carbon River (the main trail is closed due to washout). The hike along the river is fairly level and served as a nice break between the Cataract Valley and Ipsut Pass. At around 3:00pm we passed Ipsut Falls and began toward Ipsut Pass. We found a huge area full of berry bushes that we believe were huckleberries and they were delicious! The incline during this portion was fairly gradual and we were surrounded by beautiful green ferns and other lush plant life. We reached the switchbacks at Ipsut Pass and this is where the hike became pretty difficult. This is also around the time we both ran out of water in our 3 liter camelback bladders so we would HIGHLY recommend bringing an extra Nalgene or two of water if you are going to do the entire loop in one day, or using some type of water purification system. In between the two sets of switchbacks we found a spot to break and discovered you could yell into the Pass and it would echo off of the rocks! We finally made it to the top of Ipsut Pass where the trail connects with the loop leading to Mowich Lake at around 4:30pm and continued back to our car and ended at 5:00pm. This hike was absolutely gorgeous and I would definitely recommend trying it as a day hike if you have some experience and you are up for a challenge. Based on the flyer we received at the pay station leading to the trailhead, we calculated our entire hike to be 16.5 miles (including the detour to Spray Falls) and it took us 9 hours including an hour for breaks/photo taking. Hiking the loop counter clockwise is probably the best way to go, however we saw hikers going the opposite direction as well. It is a draining yet rewarding hike!

This is a long, arduous, yet straightforward hike with breathtaking views! I did not encounter much difficulty following the trail except for a washed out bridge over the Carbon River directly following the Carbon River Camp. For now, hikers will have to take a detour over the suspension bridge connecting to the Northern Loop Trail. From there I was eventually reconnected to Ipsut Creek Trail. The detour added a mile at most to the overall hike.