On a day trip to Mt Rainier National Park, we took on a pair of easy but beautiful hikes. The first, The Naches Peak Loop, was an awesome 4 mile loop in the north east corner of the park. The second was the Snow Lake Trail, taking us to Bench Lake and the stunning Snow Lake!
This short 2 mile trail promised to be pretty cool! In only 2 miles, we would reach 2 alpine lakes with stunning views, and hopefully would have some more good looks at Rainier. It turned out to be even better than we had hoped! I think this is probably the best 2 mile that I’ve done, which is high praise, but I think it’s true. If you want amazing views, stunning alpine lakes, all in a short hour long hike, this is it!
Miles/Elevation:
2.2 miles
446 feet vertical gain
About Mt Rainier National Park:
The Naches Peak Loop is another incredible easy hike in Mt Rainier National Park!
Established as a national park in 1899, Mt Rainier National Park has a long history of preservation. Centered around the iconic Mt Rainier, the park preserves about 236,000 acres of land, ranging in elevation from 1,600 feet to over 14,000. This massive elevation range makes for insane views and mountains that seemingly scrape the sky!
Mt Rainier itself is one of the most iconic mountains of America. The 14,411 foot high volcano is the highest peak in the Cascade Mountain Range, the highest peak in the Pacific-Northwest, and the fourth highest in the entire lower 48!
It may not be the tallest in the lower 48, but the heavily glaciated slopes of Rainier give a striking appearance compared to many of America’s other great mountains. The fact that it towers 8-10,000 feet above the surrounding terrain makes it all the more intimidating!
Mt Rainier National Park is an incredible destination for outdoor recreation. For the adventurous, a summit of Mt Rainier can be a once in a lifetime experience. The mountain’s glacier-covered slopes make for a serious mountaineering objective, and many train here to prepare for high peaks in the Himalaya, Karakorum, and Andes!
For the less ambitious, Rainier is an incredible place to hike! The Wonderland Trail, a 93 mile backpacking route around Mt Rainier, is one of the best backpacking routes in America. The park as a whole contains over 260 miles of maintained trails to choose from! Whether you want easy day hikes or huge backpacking trips, you’ll find it here!
Mt Rainier has a number of different locations to choose from when exploring. The most popular is Paradise, located on the south slopes of the mountain. Near Paradise to the west is Longmire, located at much lower elevation along the Nisqually River. The highest elevation area reachable by vehicles is Sunrise, located in the north east portion of the park.
Every part of this park has incredible views, you just have to choose which area to focus on!
Getting To The Trailhead:
Think about purchasing the America the Beautiful Pass if you’re visiting Mt Rainier!
The trailhead to reach Bench and Snow Lakes is on Stevens Canyon Road, about 5 miles east of Paradise in Mt Rainier National Park. From Paradise, head 5 mile east on Stevens Canyon Road. The trailhead is marked, and has a small parking area on the right side of the road. From the east, take highway 123 towards the park. Turn onto Stevens Canyon Road, and continue for 16 miles to reach the trailhead.
The Bench and Snow Lake Trail:
To Bench Lake:
From the trailhead, the trail immediately enters the forest and begins climbing. The initial climb isn’t super steep, but it’s not especially gentle either. Over the course of the first quarter of a mile, you’ll climb about 150 vertical feet. That’s not a huge number, but you’ll feel it.
After about a quarter mile, you’ll emerge from the initial swathe of forest into an open valley. Here, the foliage thins and you’ll have a clear view of the high peaks beyond. Here the trail splits. To access Bench Lake, stay left at this intersection. If you just want to get to Snow Lake, head right to avoid the descent to Bench Lake.
Always be sure to follow the 7 Leave No Trace Principles when in the outdoors!
Staying left at the fork, the trail actually descents about 150 feet down to Bench Lake. You’ll quickly encounter a short turnoff leading to Bench Lake. There’s a steep little slope leading to Bench Lake. There is a potentially cool view of Rainier across Bench Lake, but from my vantage point, it honestly wasn’t anything all that special; I don’t think I went far enough around the bank. Bummer!
To Snow Lake:
There are plenty of black bears in Washington so make sure you’re bear safe!
From Bench Lake, you’ll next face a 200 foot or so climb to reach the highpoint before Snow Lake. It is a bit loose and dusty, and in spots rocky, so take it slow if you aren’t used to rough hiking! The trail here is pretty steep, and if you aren’t accustomed to hiking it might be tough, but after a few minutes, you’ll be at the crest and approaching Snow Lake!
Snow Lake actually sits a bit below the crest, so follow the trail as it gently climbs down towards the water. As you approach the lake, you have a choice. Option one is to follow the trail around the right side of the lake to the far right shore. Option two is to turn left, cross the lake’s outlet (Unicorn Creek), and head towards the small backcountry campground near the lake’s outlet.
We first chose to hike around the right side of the lake, but as we went, the views actually got worse. The coolest peaks are beyond the far shore of Snow Lake, so the best views are near the lake’s outlet. After backtracking, we started on the short trail towards the campground. After a simple creek crossing, we were there!
Just after crossing Unicorn Creek, we were at an elevated view point at the base of Snow Lake, near the backcountry campground. This was the view we were hoping for!
Snow Lake:
Always follow basic trail etiquette when on trail!
The bright blue waters of Snow Lake shone beautifully on the bluebird day that we visited on, and in the background, Unicorn Peak stood gracefully, dominating the skyline. We also had this place to ourselves, so the awesome view combined with the quiet and solitude made for a perfect spot!
I sat down for a nice breather and enjoyed the scenery, however, my sisters decided that a swim sounded like a good idea! It was warm out I will admit, but that water looked cold! If anything, I guess it was refreshing, and they seemed to enjoy it, but I avoided the cold water!
The hike out from Snow Lake is pretty straightforward. Just head back on the trail that you took out to Snow Lake, and you’ll be back in no time. On the hike out, you’ll be heading back towards Rainier itself. I didn’t really notice on the hike out, but there are some spots where you get really cool and clear views of the biggest mountain in the Cascade Range! After a quick mile plus, you’ll be back at your car, ready for your next adventure!
Topdown Lifestyle Rating: 10/10
This is probably the best 2 mile trail I’ve ever hiked. Snow Lake is a stunning alpine lake, the type of place you would gladly hike 5 miles each way to reach. The fact that you can get there via a 2 mile round trip hike is awesome! The views are stunning all the way through: both lakes, back towards Rainier, and the ridges beyond the lakes. There are some steep spots, but if you want a great easy hike, this is the one!
Pros:
- Awesome views
- Multiple alpine lakes
- Easily accessible
Cons:
- Some really steep sections of trail
Alternative Hikes:
Frozen Lake via Sourdough Ridge Trail
When To Hike To Bench Lake And Snow Lake:
Bench and Snow Lakes are primarily a summer hiking destination. Mt Rainier National Park gets absolutely massive amounts of snowfall, and while the higher slopes of Rainier itself get the most, even the lower reaches of the park get huge quantities of snow.
Most of the roads through Mt Rainier close for the winter, so you won’t even be able to reach most of the park during winter and most of spring. This means that you must wait until the snow melts and the roads open to hike. Once the snow starts falling in the fall, the roads close again!
This all means that the hiking season in Mt Rainier is exceptionally short. Many roads here don’t actually open until July, so hiking season really is just July through September. You could chance it and try June or maybe October, but I wouldn’t count on the roads being clear. July and August are extremely busy, but I think the summer months are the best time to hike in Mt Rainier!
Links For Further Reading:
Bench and Snow Lakes Trail – Washington | AllTrails
Trip Report: Bench Lake, Snow Lake, and Box Canyon Overlook — The Mountaineers
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