We arrived at the Sunrise entry gate at 6:10 am and followed a line of cars up to Sunrise Point.    That parking lot was full.    We drove on to the Sunrise Visitor Center and there were only a few spots left in the parking lot at 6:45 am.

After walking up the hill to the Sourdough Ridge Trail, we looked down into Huckleberry Basin and saw a bear.   After the trail junction with Mt. Fremont and Burroughs, there were only a few hikers on the trail heading to Skyscraper.

Some of our group enjoyed sandwiches at the saddle.   The ones who climbed up Skyscraper Mtn were greeted by a swarm of flies at the top and loose rock to navigate on the way down.   It was a hot, dusty walk back to Sunrise with very little shade.

When we got back to the parking lot at noon, some parking spots were opening up.   Drivers who parked along the side of the road on top of the vegetation had orange stickers on their cars.   Not sure if that's a ticket or a warning.

My hiking group had Skyscraper Pass  / Mt Rainier on our hiking schedule today.  We all read weather forecasts ahead of time but felt we could beat the odds on not get wet, extremely bad idea!  We got caught out 2.5 miles from Sunrise and were battered with hail, heavy rain and rolling thunder and lightning moving through the area early afternoon.  It was 51 degrees with mostly sunny skies when we pulled into Sunrise parking area just before 9:30. The bathrooms and vault toilets were open, clean and stocked with supplies.  After gearing up we headed up the dry and dusty Sourdough ridge trail.  Lots of hikers were headed out and back in all directions.  The wildflowers were in peak bloom for most varieties - we saw lupine, paint brush, anemone, bistort, saxifrage, cinquefoil, penstemon, aster, lousewort, partridge foot, heather, hare bells and more.  We had incredible wildlife sightings including marmots, chipmunks and a goat herd of 10 plus a couple strays.  After the 5 way intersection trail traffic got really light, we passed and chatted with 8 other hikers all overnight backpackers or hiking the complete Wonderland Loop Trail.  Clouds started moving in and Rainier’s summit slowly became cloud covered.  Once at Skyscraper Pass a few in my group wanted to hike up Skyscraper Mtn so we hung around for over an hour.  In hindsight we would have had a much better luck at not getting soaked had we grabbed a quick bite and turned around immediately. On our return the goat herd was hanging out above the Wonderland trail above Berkley Park and who doesn’t want to stop and snap a few photos of Mtn goats?  That’s where the rain started and continued in intensity all the way back to Sunrise.  Most hikers on other routes had the same idea get off the mountain and take shelter as soon as possible.  I counted the seconds after lightning strikes and they were 10 - 12 seconds or miles away.  With the trail being so dry it soaked up the moisture on the really sandy and silty areas and all the flora and fauna were soaking it up.  When we drove out of Sunrise at 3:30 the rain grew in intensity and our car wipers were on full speed and runoff water was flooding the road in 5 different places as we wound our way down around Sunrise Point and 2 switchbacks below.  It was hard to imagine unless you were driving in it, the path of least resistance was flowing straight down. I have experienced clouds forming and moving in quickly in both the Rockies in Colorado and the Alp in France and this weather  system was on par with that.  Everyone in my group made it down safely and have a hair raising story to tell until our next great trail adventure!

We started at 0600 from Sunrise. The crowds disappeared as we left the five point junction by Frozen Lake. There was a tiny patch of snow by the pass. The trail up Skyscraper Mountain is quite steep with loose rock. We arrived at the top of Skyscraper Mountain by 0820. We encountered a lot of people on the way down even though we took the alternate trail down through Sunrise camp. We arrived back in the parking lot by 1100.

Arrived at the Sunrise parking lot around 9:15 am. No line to enter the park - timed entry for Sunrise starts July 11th. Parking lots was over 1/2 full and the bathrooms were open. Mosquitoes and wildflowers were out! Hiked out on the Sourdough trail past Frozen Lake and onto the Wonderland Trail towards Skyscraper Pass. Trail is in good shape and snow free until just before (north side) Skyscraper Pass. About 20 feet of the trail is covered in snow and it’s steep. Hikers are scrambling around the snow on the loose scree. I’m not a fan of heights or loose exposed stuff so I did not cross it. 2 backpackers headed towards Sunrise navigated the scree around the steep snow field smoothly. Gorgeous sunny day with less snow than expected for this time of year. Some hikers saw a black bear just up from the parking lot on the Sourdough trail - we didn’t see the bear.
Note - I could see 4 snow field crossings on the north side of 1st Burroughs Mountain. Some hikers were headed up Burroughs and you could see the trail in the snow from a distance. Store/day lodge was open and the visitor’s center was closed (opens July 11th).