Palisades, Little Ranger Peak via Ranger Creek — Friday, Jul. 3, 2015

Mount Rainier Area > Chinook Pass - Hwy 410

I needed a shake down hike for some new gear and my 13 year old son to have his first big overnight hike and Palisades certainly delivered. We went in the opposite direction of the loop so hiked along the lower river first, through the boy scout camp and then up to little ranger peak. The trail was in great shape and we saw lots of other day hikers, mountain bikers and trail runners. We camped at the lookout shelter, which was great as there was no one else there, it had a little creek for water and a well established fire pit. Clearly this shelter gets used a lot as a stopping point for various hiking, running and biking activities but we were fortunate to have it to ourselves. The next day we hiked out with some really great views of Mt Ranier, some significant creeks - although very low water for July due to low snow pack. The hike out was much prettier than the hike in with better views, more water and mostly downhill. The one big bummer is that our car was broken into at the Palisaded trail lot. I would not recommend parking on 410 in the pull out for this hike if you are going overnight. You need to find an off highway place to leave your car overnight - lesson learned...