Snoquera Falls Loop — Saturday, May. 22, 2004

Mount Rainier Area > Chinook Pass - Hwy 410

Finding the trail was a little confusing. Go through the boy scout camp for easier trailhead access. Lots of calypso orchids, indian paintbrushes, a few morels and ceps, garter snakes and a female elk were the fauna and flora highlights of this hike. The waterfall is beautiful. It's a vigorous 100 yards hiking up from the trail to the falls. There are a couple of rockslides on the trail; one of them is somewhat dangerous and makes the trail difficult to follow. Don't slip because you'll go all the way down... The rockslide can be avoided by doing the first half of the loop counter-clockwise and then retracing one's footsteps after reaching the falls. There was a little bit of blow-down but nothing serious. This hike is a rewarding one for the sure-footed.