Alpine Scramble - Chinook Peak

Meet at 9 am at the Crystal Peak Trailhead on Highway 410.  It's 1/2 mile down the road from the turnoff to the White River entrance of Mount Rainier.

Driving time is 2 hours from North Seattle.

No Mount Rainier Admission Fee/Pass required.

NOTE:  Don't plan on returning to Seattle any earlier that 7 PM.

Chinook Peak (elevation 6,903') is a snow scramble for only a short time of the year and this should be that time.  Highway 410 just opened to the White River ranger station this past weekend.   No guarantees about the snow however, what with the recent hot weather.

The plan is to hike on the trail about 2.0 miles, then leave the trail around 5,800 ft  go straight up on the snow.

Slope angle is moderate but if snow conditions are good, we may make a slight detour and practice descending steeper snow  into a bowl with a safe run-out.

Total elevation gain is 3,500 feet, and total round trip time on previous trips has been  around 6 hours.