Klapatche Park

Dogs No Dogs

Features Birding · Lake · River/Creek · Views · Wildflowers · Wildlife

This high meadow is a favorite for many runners. It is surmised that the name Klapatche is of Indian origin but the exact meaning has been lost.

When the rest of the park is socked-in with clouds, this run's high meadow is generally above the cloudy fray.

The campsites at Klapatche Park are some of the most popular in the park and are often full on summer weekend nights. The camp is in the forest along the edge of the meadow just north of Aurora Lake. When Aurora Lake dries up in summer, St. Andrews Lake, located 0.75 mile east along the Wonderland Trail, is the closest water source. Permits are required for camping. Permits and current trail conditions are available park-wide from wilderness information centers, ranger stations, and visitor centers.

As always, Westside Road is great for running, but the rest of this beastly route (the Wonderland Trail portion) is very steep to run.

One mile east of the Nisqually Entrance is the Westside Road junction. Turn here and continue up the Westside Road to where it ends (approximately 3 miles from the start of the road). Run up the closed portion of the road to the trailhead (approximately 4 miles) at South Puyallup River Trail.

The trail follows the South Puyallup River 1.8 miles to the junction with the Wonderland Trail. Take the Wonderland Trail north 3.9 miles, climbing a series of steep switchbacks to reach St. Andrews Park and then on to Klaptache Park.

Klapatche Park features a serene mountain lake, meadows abundant with subalpine wildflowers, and grand views of Mount Rainier.