Little Ranger Peak via Ranger Creek, Palisades — Sunday, Jul. 31, 2011

Mount Rainier Area > Chinook Pass - Hwy 410

I set out on this hike in the early afternoon with my brother today. Reading that it was a "little known" trail appealed to me, as I enjoy the solitude that the lesser known hikes offer. The trail was in excellent shape, with no blowdowns or crazy obstacles. I definitely wouldn't consider this hike a "little known" hike, however, with all of the people we saw on it. We saw a few groups of hikers, but we encountered many cyclists (probably about 20 in all) coming down the trail as we were going up. If you do this hike, be prepared to jump out of the way for cyclists! We reached the Little Ranger Peak summit in about an hour and a half and were greeted with a pretty view but lots of clouds today. The peak offers great views, but to get the really good ones you have to risk your neck and climb down some rocks to a landing that is a little lower. I wouldn't recommend this hike to large parties, because there really isn't any room for more than 3 people to fit comfortably and safely out on that peak. We decided to continue on towards the Palisades trail, which offers many switchbacks and a good workout. We found the three sided log shelter that looks perfect for camping, at about 2 miles or so from Little Ranger Peak. We followed the trail about .5 miles farther, but the cloud coverage was very low and there was little to be seen.