Basic Snowshoe - Reflection Lakes

Day Snowshoe Narada Falls to Reflection Lake 3/7/25

Mountaineers group of 7, sunny, 35 degrees, no wind, made for a perfect day.  The trails were clear, unobstructed, and well marked.   

LOGISTICS

Rendezvoused at Longmire National Park Inn while waiting for the park gate to open at 0900.  There were perhaps 20 cars in the queue.   Parked at Narada Falls by 0930 along with about 5 other cars, most went on to Paradise.  Narada Falls Parking area capacity is perhaps 50 cars.

When we returned to the cars at about 1500 there were about 15 cars, with half of them being momentary visitors vs. backcountry users.  We only encountered one couple at the lake in our 5 hours on the trail.

Warming room and Restrooms at NE end of the Narada parking area.  Lighted, running water, and benches to gear up. 

TRAIL

Recent sunny warm weather provided a firm snow base.  The first, perhaps, quarter mile, was "crunchy" surface, but then it was a lovely 2-3" of powder on top of a firm base, making for lovely, but not strenuous snowshoeing.  Poles serve as trail path blazes, as do previous snowshoe tracks.   Much of the route is on closed, surfaced, but unplowed NPS roads, so grades, tread, and route are easy.

ROUTE

The trail entrance is immediately past the restroom building.   You need to climb up some iffy snow steps to get onto the snow pack.  After that the trail is easy and safe.  

We went clockwise ENE on the Narada Falls Trail until we intersected the Stevens Canyon Road for a brief piece until a left turn on the Valley Road briefly until heading S on the Lower Lakes Trail down to Reflection Lake.  

A very nice lunch spot is at 46.76947, -121.73265, but guard your food as the birds have been (badly) trained to expect humans to feed them; they will alight on you.  They do no harm but will surprise you.

If you proceed further along the S side of the lake on Stevens Canyon Road, your views of Rainier will get even better in the afternoon light.

Because the Avalanche danger was low, as confirmed by checking with Northwest Avalanche Center, https://nwac.us/avalanche-forecast/#/west-slopes-south we returned to the Trailhead via Stevens Canyon Road to get some spectacular views of the mountain, including at Inspiration Point.

FUN FACT

Stevens Canyon Road is named for Hazard Stevens, who along with P.B. Van Trump were the first documented ascents of Mt. Rainier on August 17, 1870.  Hazard Stevens was the son of Washington Territorial governor, Isaac Stevens. The road was constructed in the 1930s by the National Park Service, as part of the New Deal's massive government investment in infrastructure to jump start the economy out of the Great Depression.   Today's National Park users are still benefiting from 100 year old government investments.