We arrived at the line-up for the Nisqually entrance before 8:45 Monday morning.I thought I had checked all of the potential road closure problems especially since we had changed from our original choice of Sunrise area due to a bridge closure on Hwy 410 near Enumclaw. However, there was a crew resurfacing the road between the park entrance and Paradise. Only one lane was open for a stretch near the entrance. We waited more than an hour to enter the park. Surprisingly, parking spots were still scarce at the visitor center's lots.
We hiked to Glacier Vista and most of the way up to Panorama Point. It was hot and steep, but the mountain was out in full glory and the air smelled wonderful. There are still wildflowers, but they are fading away. There were a lot of people on the lower trails, but it thinned out as we went higher. We saw a few grouse along the trail, and lots of chubby little chipmunks hoping for a handout.
Check the repaving project before you go. It looked as if they were near the end, but there were over 250 cars waiting to enter when we left mid-afternoon.
Comments