Arrived at the Nisqually gate at 6:58 and drove through easy enough before opening. Parked at the Kautz Creek parking lot.
This hike is mostly tree covered and can be a bit challenging in the beginning, with close to 3500' gain over the first number of miles.
At 4 miles the trail becomes exposed with great views of the Nisqually Valley, Tatoosh range and eventually Rainier. We may even find some lingering blueberries available for a treat along the way.
PLEASE NOTE: the limited water source this time of year and all participants will need to carry at least 2L of water.
There is one creek that had water after the rain storm this past week but I'm sure it will dry up to a trickle soon.
When we reached Indian Henrys Patrol Cabin, we took a longer break for lunch, and decided to hike over to Mirror Lakes and addition roundtrip of 2-3 miles and minimal elevation. It is very pretty in the meadows and worth looking at with the reflection of the mountain or waiting for it as we did this day.
We were back to the cars around 5 pm.
14 miles 4200' elevation gain
Comments
slo go on Kautz Creek to Indian Henry's Hunting Ground, Mirror Lakes, Wonderland Trail
Yes, it is steep. And a lot of steps. Just for something to do, I counted them. Starting from about 2.5 miles in to the first view of the Mountain, about 350 or so.
Year before last Georg and I met a lady that had been a backcountry ranger at the IH cabin for 10 years. She said early and late season were very chilly since she could not use the stove because of sparks.
Posted by:
slo go on Aug 19, 2025 08:22 AM
Lisa Elliott on Kautz Creek to Indian Henry's Hunting Ground, Mirror Lakes, Wonderland Trail
That is an interesting fact for the next time I take a group up there.
Posted by:
Lisa Elliott on Aug 19, 2025 09:05 AM