Mt. Rainer Naches Loop Trail

Tags

Berry Picking, Cascades, Hiking, Huckleberries, Lake Tipsoo, Mt Rainier National Park, Mt. Baker, Mt. Rainier, National Park, Pacific Northwest, Washington

17 July 2015 – Naches Loop Trail.  What a wonderful hike.  The mountain flowers were blooming in the meadows.  The song birds were at full pitch.  The huckleberries were ripe.  The views could not have been more stunning.

We started early to ensure we had a full day on the trail.  From our house it takes about 2.5 hours to get deep into Mt. Rainier National Park where some of the best hiking in the world lies.  We had previously visited Lake Tipsoo but had not done the loop trail – which was the goal of the day.  Our previous visit in 2011 to Tipsoo focused on the flowers and the mountain views.

Isabella, Sherrie, and Lucas at Lake Tispoo in 2011

Isabella, Sergio, and Lucas at Lake Tipsoo in 2011

Lucas, Sergio, Aurelia, and Isabella at Lake Tipsoo in 2015

After a quick lunch of sandwiches, strawberries, and juice boxes we started on the trail which begins on along the Pacific Crest Trail before splitting off to the South.  The trail is very well maintained and circles around Naches Peak with beautiful views of the valleys, Lake Douglas, and surrounding mountains.

Lucas and Aurelia Heading Up Naches Loop Trail

Lake Douglas and valley

After Lake Douglas the huckleberries go thick – and ripe!  We couldn’t help ourselves and spent at least an hour picking and eating 🙂 Thanks to berry bags we keep in Isabella’s backpack we brought many home for ice cream toppings.

Isabella, Aurelia, and Lucas pick huckleberries along the Naches Loop Trail

Ripe huckleberries along the Naches Loop Trail

Hucklberry picking stains the hands!

Of course, the mountain views were spectacular – Mt. Rainier was close and Mt. Baker in the distance.  It was a wonderful hike

Mt. Baker as seen from the Naches Loop Trail

Mt. Rainier from Naches Loop Trail

Sergio, Lucas, Isabella, Sherrie, and Giuliana on the Naches Loop Trail with Mt. Rainier

Mt. Rainier Panorama

Mt. Rainier and mountain meadow

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Old Robe Canyon

Tags

Hiking, North Cascades, Old Robe Canyon, Robe Canyon Historic Park, Stillaguamish River

5 July 2015 – During the 1890 North Cascade gold rush a railroad was built along the Stillaguamish River through Robe Canyon to transport gold and silver from Monte Cristo (now a ghost town) to Everett, WA.  However, the wealth dried up in 1907 and the regular flooding of both the river and high rains caused extensive damage to the roads and infrastructure – including regular landslides along the railroad.

The area along the Stillaguamish River through Robe Canyon is preserved and protected as a historic park just a few miles outside Granite Falls, WA.  A trail developed by the Boy Scouts in 1960 follows the river along the old railroad bed.  The majority of the trail is well maintained and has wonderful views of the river and canyon.  Where the trail hasn’t been washed out by landslides, the old rail ties, rail stakes, and (where the ties are rotted) impressions are still present.

Stillaguamish River in Robe Canyon

Lucas, Aurelia, and Isabella along the Stillaguamish River

Isabella and Lucas along the Old Robe Canyon trail – the rail ties are still present

Sections of the trail continue to see the effects of the flooding with rock slides to scramble over and large overturned trees to cross.

Crossing logs along the Old Robe Canyon trail

Lucas, Aurelia, and Isabella scramble over a rock slide along the Robe Canyon

Aurelia, Lucas, and Isabella cross a trail gap over a log

The rail system contained six tunnels through the granite canyon sides.  None are accessible via the maintained trail, but a short trek beyond the trail end takes you to the first tunnel.  The kids loved it – walking through the tunnel and seeing the dynamite holes and toads now inhabiting the dark and damp spaces.

Sherrie, Isabella, and Lucas walk through a historic tunnel at Robe Canyon

After tunnel we turned back.  The afternoon was warm and the kids wanted to go swimming.  We walked a couple of miles back and found a nice place by the river to go swimming.  The kids packed their swim suits and had a great hour swimming up and down the current and playing in the rapids.  Aurelia and Giuliana spent time exploring the calmer pools.

Isabella crosses the Stillaguamish River to meet Lucas on the other side

Giuliana plays in the Stillaguamish River

Aurelia climbs on big rocks in the Stillaguamish River