Little Ranger Peak via Ranger Creek — Sunday, May. 5, 2013

Mount Rainier Area > Chinook Pass - Hwy 410

Some pictures from today's hike: http://www.flickr.com/photos/urbandisturbance/sets/72157633414985597/with/8713495538/ Ok, I liked this hike, but I gotta say the directions in the description are a little confusing. The White River Trailhead isn't signposted anywhere. Instead it's Buck Creek you gotta look out for. Here you can park and then cross the road to find the trailhead. It's basically all switchbacks through the forest. At 2.6 miles you get to the Little Ranger Peak viewpoint. It's a good spot for a rest and maybe lunch but the views aren't that amazing (see pictures). From there Dalles Ridge is signposted at 3 miles. Looking at the map it seems at Dalles Ridge you got various option to connect with other trails. I went on another mile and ahalf or so after the viewpoint (more switchbacks) until I ran into snow, then turned around. The trail climbs pretty gently, so good for early season out of shape hiking :-) No problems at all on the trail until the snow starts. All in all this was a good workout on a sunny day but there are hardly any good views. I'd love to do this one again later in the year and catch one of the connecting trails, might be a good backpacking option.