Mowich River — Saturday, Jul. 2, 2016

Mount Rainier Area > NW - Carbon River/Mowich

We hiked 8 round trip miles from Mowich Campground to South Mowich River Backcountry Camp. Several trees were down on the trail making it necessary to climb both over and under trees, roots, and branches. The Mowich River crossing has washed out so you must cross on a log. It's difficult to pick up the trailhead once over, due to a washout. The four miles down to the camp is great but the 2500 feet elevation gain on the way back up is interesting. Beargrass, avalanche lillies, Canadian dogwood, penstemon, columbine, and many other wildflowers lined the trail in full bloom. The mountain was beautiful and the waterfalls were spectacular. The only hikers we passed were those on the Wonderland Trail journey. It's always fun to swap stories, but I'm glad I did that hike last August when the trail was free of trees to circumnavigate.