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Day Hike - Shriner Peak

Solitude, perfect weather, bear grass, and four volcanos.

David Bradley David Bradley
July 04, 2017
  • Road suitable for all vehicles

  • Boot tread itself in great shape the whole way up.  When we were there (July 3) there were still large patches of snow covering the trail between about 4800' and 5100'.  Some of the snow patches were large enough that we sometimes had difficulty finding where the trail continued on the other side.  We were quickly able to find the trail in all such places but it sometimes took the group a couple minutes to do so.  The snow was firm but with 1 - 2 inches of slippery slush on top in some places. We used Microspikes over most of the snow and recommend it for other groups too.

    The eastern portion of the summit is still under several inches of snow but the trail to the summit and the area around the lookout tower are completely snow free.

    There were a couple small blowdowns over the lower section of the trail (below 4500') that were easily stepped over.

Our group of seven managed to find solitude over the busy July 4th holiday weekend by choosing this less-traveled route on the east side of Rainier.  We were fortunate to also have perfect weather.

Highlights:

  • Acres of perfect Beargrass plants at their peak between about 4500' and 4900'. Truly an exceptional sight.
  • The view from the viewpoint at 4500' (as marked on the Green Trails map) where we took a break during the ascent.
  • The expansive views from the summit, including four volcanos.
  • Seeing only about 10 other people all day on a Monday holiday.