Hopefully you were able to read about my adventures in North Cascades National Park! After spending a couple of nights at an AirBnB in Chehalis, Washington, I was ready to explore Mt. Rainier National Park. I was able to set out early and got to the park around 6:30 am. It was still too dark to really see any of the landscape or the trailheads. At around 7:30 am, I was parked, had my hiking gear ready and set out on a trail.
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I started out with Snow Lake Trail. Although, if you look up Snow Lake Trail, it describes the trail as being an out and back hike for a total of 6.7 miles. I tend to get sidetracked when I’m hiking on my own and travel down different trails from the one I start out on so I did not complete the full 6.7 miles but did manage to find some beautiful sights!
After some time on the trail, I was met with some friendly quail who decided to join me for a bit, I was thankful for the temporary company. I came upon a sign on the trail. The sign directed hikers to go left and check out Bench Lake. Hikers could also go to the right to check out Snow Lake.
I decided to go to the right to begin with, making a mental note to make sure to go back and check out Snow Lake after. Finding Bench Lake was a bit difficult as the foliage was growing over the trail. Thankfully, I was able to find the trail that leads directly into the water, causing me to almost slip and fall right into the lake!
Bench Lake
Both images above are from Bench Lake. Since it was still fairly early, the fog from the night before was slowly burning off from the lake as the Sun was rising. I loved being able to capture the reflection the lake provided, with the fog of the morning. Not only that, but being able to see the snow topped Mt. Rainier with the beautiful fall foliage colors of the landscape, helped make the trip well worth the long hours of driving.
Visiting the park at the end of September/early October is prime time to be able to see snow settling on the mountain (as shown on the right) while maintaining the fall colors. After spending some time enjoying the lake, I crawled back onto the trail and ventured back to the trail head altering my course to go down the path leading me to Snow Lake.
Snow Lake
The lake was massive and gorgeous. The water was so clear and still that it reflected the colors of the surrounding landscape. Not a bad place to stop for a bite to eat. Once I was ready, I set back out to the trail to head back to my car. On my way back, I just happened to stumble upon another view point and noticed I could see the two lakes I was just at, Bench Lake on the left and Snow Lake on the right (shown in the picture below).
Overall Thoughts
Overall, I had an amazing adventure in Mt. Rainier National Park. I had the chance to see wildlife, including a Black Bear, and was thankful enough to be able to get to the trails early enough to have the sights all to myself. If you can, set out early to catch the sunrise because it was a wonderful sight to see. Make sure to pack bear spray in case you cross paths with one while out on the trails. Take your time to look around at view points and take in the scenery, it’s definitely worth it.
Thanks for joining me on this adventure and make sure to check back when I show you the adventures I experienced out on the Oregon Coast to wrap up my Pacific North West road trip!
