Mt Rainier National Park is good not only for Mt Rainier summit climbing but also for hiking around among very picturesque surroundings. In the first Sunday of August, we made a circle around Emerald Ridge in the west part of the park under the Tacoma Glacier.
In the beginning, the trail goes through the forest near huge lava formations.
After it cames to the alpine meadows with a nice view on Rainier.
Tacoma glacier doesn’t look nice for climbing, instead, it has a nice waterfall.
There is even a little lake on the meadow. It is pretty shallow but good enough to wash away sweat and hot.
For the way back we used the other trail that is not officially supported any more (the note at the trailhead doesn’t recommend to use this trail). The contrast between supported and unsupported trails shows that at least some money that we pay to the park are used directly in the park.
The loop is about 29 km with an elevation gain about 1000 meters.
