Palisades, Skookum Flats & Little Ranger Peak via Ranger Creek — Friday, Mar. 16, 2001

Mount Rainier Area > Chinook Pass - Hwy 410

I had a strong need to stretch my legs and escape the pressures of modern life . This trail popped to mind and I was off. I parked at the West Trailhead, about 1 mi W of Camp Sheppard. Headed up the trail and right away I ran into a bridge in serious need of repair. You would have needed crampons to walk across it, it was leaning so bad. Snuck around that and carried on up the trail, a very handsome trail with cedars and firs, good sized ones, and ferns and mosses that the smattering of snow made magical. Soon I came to the stairway (to heaven') and carefully climbed its snowy planks. Phew! I was at the top of the Palisades, about 3200'. The trail wanders to the edge for a lookout over the valley then back inland four times. Make sure you stop at each viewpoint. On a clear day Rainier would be a beauty, big and majestic. But that was not to bee for me. The clouds were hanging at about 6000' so I just saw the river, peeks at the highway, Suntop and various other local peaks. But that was enough. I hit snow at about 3000'. At the top there was 2-4"" on the trail, nice and crunchy to walk on. For the most part I had no use for the snowshoes on my pack, but crossing the second clearcut section (4500') it got deep and I put them on for a half mile or so. I saw faint evidence of old footprints in the snow, but nothing fresh. I felt like I was blazing new ground. Got to the shelter at the junction with Ranger Creek trail and took a long break, drank some coffee, and soaked up a few sun rays. Headed back down the Ranger Crk trail. It had a lot of fresh snow over a fairly hard crust. I was glad for my instep crampons. It was beautiful, white and lonely as I zipped down the trail. I came out at the Buck Creek bridge, crossed the river and walked down the Skookum Flats trail to the suspension bridge, crossed and walked down the highway (ugh) for 1.5 mi to my car. All in all this was a perfect hike. I saw no one else all day, the hiking was free of major trouble, and the scenery was inspiring. 13 mi total , about 3000' elev gain.