We finally found a way to get to Mt. Rainier's northwest side. From Buckley, we went south to Wilkeson and into Rainier National Park at the Carbon River entrance. Once in the park, we traveled to Ranger Falls, then Chenuis Falls, and Ipsut Falls. Our next visit there will involve a 3 mile hike up to the lowest lying glacier on Rainier, Carbon Glacier.
In the mean time, we enjoyed a trip to Ranger Falls up the Green Lake trail. This area contains Rainier's only rain forest. The trail to the Ranger Falls included 800 year-old Douglas Fir trees. We were reminded of the great old growth forest on the southeast side of the park - Grove of the Patriarchs.
Our favorite falls of the day were only .25 miles from the parking area. Unfortunately, getting over the rushing water of the Carbon River was a bit risky. We were rewarded with a beautiful view of Chenuis Falls, a long, wide, cascading falls flowing over a wide outcropping of lava.
Our trip concluded near the Ipsut Creek Campground with a view of the Ipsut waterfall and lower rapids. We discovered that from there, we will some day soon hike up to the Carbon glacier, a 7 mile round trip along the Carbon River to the lowest lying glacier (in elevation) in the contiguous US. The views to the summit must be tremendous.
