Another great hike and/or backpack trip in Mt. Rainier National Park, I like to hit Glacier Basin as soon as the road to White River opens. Still lots of snow in the beginning of the season, so bring along some tire chains for your boots or snow shoes.
Last year I had my one and only bear encounter on this trail, with a younger beautiful cinnamon-colored black bear. He was just not interested in moving off the trail to let us by, so we waited around and got some good photos before he decided to munch his way further into the shrubs.
This is also the main route for climbers heading to Camp Schurman. The Glacier Basin trail has been completely re-done by WTA in the last couple of years, and it shows… it’s a beautiful trail all the way up.
