Little Ranger Peak via Ranger Creek — Saturday, May. 4, 2013

Mount Rainier Area > Chinook Pass - Hwy 410

With the beautiful weather we chose this hike hoping to cash in on some great views of Mt. Rainier. However, that didn't work out -- from the trail at least. The trail was snow free to the viewpoint 3 miles in. We didn't even see the sign for the short trail off to the left until our way back down. From the trail heads inland toward the Dalles Ridge trail. Sign said three miles. We hiked about 2 miles toward that junction but turned around after hitting snow around 4,700 feet. The viewpoint had good views of the valley but Mt. Rainier was MIA. Perhaps you could see the very top of Mt. Rainier but it was hard to make out (see photo below). But we didn't leave empty handed. After the hike we continued on 410 for about 10 miles where we got gorgeous view of the mountain from inside the park boundary.