Tolmie Peak Trail: Rainier National Park

This trail is easily one of my favorites within Rainier National Park. It offers gorgeous alpine lake views with not too much difficulty. Here is what you need to know before you go.

Tolmie Peak Trail
5.6 Miles Round Trip, Moderate
An America the Beautiful Pass (or daily entry fee) is required for entry into the park and access to this trail. This pass is FREE for active duty military. Mount Rainier National Park is not dog friendly, so unfortunately they are not allowed on this trail. It is a bit tough for the average hiker but we took it slow, stopped for lots of photos, and were able to get it done in about five hours. That time frame is including an hour for lunch at the top. There is no parking lot at the trailhead, street parking on one side of the road only. Also note there are no restrooms, picnic tables, or trash cans at the trailhead or along the trail itself. Beware of large potholes on the road getting to the trail.
View info on the America the Beautiful Pass HERE.
View trail info on All Trails HERE.

The trail starts in a covered wooded area along a lake. This was a generally easy part of the trail. We saw tons of different types of mushrooms on our hike.

We hiked here in early October and there was still snow in this area. There was not much, it was mostly melted and slushy.

This was an ice chunk out of the frozen stream.

Once you get to the second lake, you are (kinda-sorta) almost there. You can see the Fire Lookout at the top left ridgeline over the lake, this is your destination! There are several side trails off the main trail that take you down to the lake. It is worth the detour for the gorgeous views.

When we arrived at the fire lookout we ate our lunch on the porch with our legs hanging off. It was one of the prettiest views I’ve ever seen in Rainier National Park. Unfortunately the day we went was cloudy so we could not see Rainier herself (though she is there and beautiful on a clear day).

The chipmunks and birds at the top are VERY friendly. Like if you are sitting on the ground the chipmunks will come sniff your lap friendly. We really enjoyed seeing them scouring the ground for lunch crumbs. They were very interested in humans and didn’t mind getting close. We even saw one attempt to crawl into another hiker’s backpack.

Beware of the birds, they were frequently dive bombing really close to catch crumbs. They were comfortable enough toe at right out of your hand.

View my other posts on hiking trails in Mount Rainier National Park HERE.

Finding the fun everywhere life takes us!
Love, Olivia Michelle