Sunday, July 23, 2023
On our second day in Mt. Rainier National Park we hiked up to Pinnacle Saddle.
The trailhead is at Reflection Lake so of course I took a quick photo before we set off up trail:
We didn’t see many people as we started hiking up:
We saw a few wildflowers along the way:
One of several rock slopes we crossed:
We had occasional views of Mt. Rainier:
We were mostly in shadow, but the sun was touching the treetops as we climbed higher:
Looking back at Mt. Rainier:
We were delighted to see this cute pika shortly before we reached the saddle:
That’s the saddle in that gap ahead:
The official trail ends at the saddle, but unofficial trails continue beyond:
Looking north at Mt. Rainier from the saddle:
Looking south from the saddle at Mt. Adams:
We followed the user trail south for a little ways:
That is Butter Creek down in that valley:
Those grassy slopes are on Tatoosh Peak (see 2017 trip report) and the snowy peaks beyond are the Goat Rocks:
We sat and relaxed for a bit, then turned and headed back towards the saddle. That is Pinnacle Peak at center:
Plummer Peak to the west:
It’s hard to tell from this photo, but there are user trails up there heading up to the west:
We followed one of the user trails:
Nice views of Mt. Rainier:
We reached a little tarn that provided a lovely reflection of Mt. Rainier:
The day was getting toasty, so we found a shady spot nearby with a great view where we could sit and rest:
Distant waterfalls:
Looking west:
Looking east at Mt. Rainier and Pinnacle Peak and the trail we hiked:
Paradise far below:
Heading back down we had great views much of the way:
More wildflowers:
This was a short hike with a lot of bang for your buck. Beautiful!
Gaia stats: 3.4 miles, 1,160′ elevation gain
