Tatoosh Ridge

Where:  From Portland take I-84 north to US Highway 12 where you go east.  Follow Highway 12 to Packwood Where you turn north onto Skate Road which turns into Forest Service Road 52.  Skate Road is across from the seasonal Ranger Station which may become permanently closed due to budget cutbacks.  If you need a map stop at the Ranger station in Randle Washington.  After you turn onto Skate road it is 4.1 miles to Forest Service Road 5270 where you take a right and continue on for about 7.1 more miles.  All turn-offs and veers are well marked for the Tatoosh Ridge Trail #161.  This trail is almost completely within the Tatoosh Wilderness borders on the south side of Mt. Rainier National Park.

The Trail:  The ranger station that I was going to get a topographical map at was closed so I don't know the elevation of the trailhead but it tops out at just over 6,300 feet at the lookout.  The Gifford Pinchot Forest Service web site put the trailhead at 2400 feet.  I just did half the trail from the Butler Creek side of the wilderness since I didn't want to do two grueling climbs on this trip.  The first 2.5 miles of the trail are extremely steep getting you up to the sub alpine ridge where the trail meanders between around 5600 and 5800 feet.  On top of that the trail is very narrow and rugged.  At around the 2.5 mile junction there is a trail that goes up over a ridge to the Tatoosh Lakes which are about 600 feet below on another very steep trail.  There is a sign just a short ways down this .5 mile trail which prohibits camping beyond that point.  There is a nice campsite to the right of the trail just over the first sandy area immediately adjacent to the trail.  I camped here and didn't bother with my rain fly since I was able to view the silhouette of Mount Rainier every time I woke up and got to pack my gear as the sunrise was falling down its slopes.  

Before setting camp however, I continued my trek along the ridge trail which, as I said earlier, meanders between around 5600 and 5800 feet for two more miles before you reach the lookout trail.  This trail is marked by a sign (so you don't get it confused with a trail that peters quite a bit before this junction).  The lookout trail goes from 5800 feet to 6310 feet in a mile and offers a fantastic panorama of the Cascade Range including a view of Goat Rocks to the Southeast.  If you continue on the trail it goes for another 4.5 miles to forest service road 5290.  This "tail end" of the trail is supposed to be pretty steep also.  The hike was tough but the views were definitely worth while.  There was also lots of signs of wildlife though all I actually saw in late September was Deer.