Glacier Basin and Emmons Moriane

Dogs No Dogs

Features Birding · Geological Significance · River/Creek · Views · Wildflowers · Wildlife

This out and back will guide you through the splendid White River Valley to near the base of one of the largest glaciers remaining in the Lower 48. It comes with splendid views of Rainier, and you might see mountain goats on the surrounding slopes.

Drive through the White River Entrance Station and continue five miles to the White River Campground. Be sure to park in the hiker/climber parking area and not in a campsite. The trail begins at the upper end of the campground.

This trail has been affected by flooding and has consequently been re-routed over some rugged terrain. Place your strides carefully!

From the campground, start up the trail as it parallels the cold, glacially fed waters of the White River. At first, the ascent is gradual, but becomes steeper on the final section before entering Glacier Basin. One mile beyond the trailhead is the junction with Emmons Moraine Trail. Turn left here and cross the stream if you wish to take this one-mile spur trail to the viewpoint. A brief ascent leads up onto the moraine, where you'll get a great view of Rainier and the Emmons Glacier. This is the largest glacier in the Lower 48 in terms of area.

Turn around at any point on the Emmons Moraine Trail, and return to the Glacier Basin Trail to keep moving up the valley. After crossing the stream again, turn left and continue your ascent along the White River with splendid views. Some sections of the trail are more rugged than others due to the history of flooding in this valley.

The trail gets steeper as it extends higher into the valley. Once you pass the junction for Burroughs Mountain Trail, it's less than a mile farther to the Glacier Basin trailside camp and the official end of this trail. Campsites at Glacier Basin are popular with climbers who are beginning their ascent of Mount Rainier. The sites are located in the trees as one approaches the open meadows of the basin. Permits are required for camping.

It's worthwhile to linger at the meadow and take in the scene. You may spot mountain goats on the surrounding slopes and climbers ascending the Inter Glacier to Steamboat Prow. If you want to see even more, you could follow the climbers' track past the camp to higher viewpoints. The way leads through an area of fragile wetland plants, so please stay on the trail to protect the vegetation.

Dense riparian forest transitions into open subalpine meadows along this route. Wildflowers abound in late spring and summer. Keep an eye out for mountain goats in Glacier Basin.

This route was once an old mining road which was rehabilitated for trail use. Although an effort was made to mine copper ore in this area in the late 1800s, nothing of commercial value was ever extracted and mining efforts were eventually suspended.