TATOOSH PEAK
A challenging hike up to the site of a former fire lookout with stunning views of Mount Rainier and the Tatoosh range! Along the way you’ll pass through nearly endless wildflower meadows and have nice views of Mount Adams and Mount Saint Helens.
Quick Facts:
Distance: 10.3 miles roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 4500 feet
Location: North Tatoosh Ridge Trailhead, Tatoosh Wilderness, Gifford Pinchot National Forest
Season: Late Summer-Fall
Dogs Allowed: Yes
Parking Pass: Northwest Forest Pass or America the Beautiful Pass
Check the weather: mountain-forecast, weather.gov
Check for recent trip reports: WTA, AllTrails
Notes: This route includes a summit of Peak 6050, which adds an additional 0.4 miles and 350 feet of elevation gain to the hike. When snow is present this trail would be very treacherous, so I encourage you to wait until it’s fully melted out to hike it. The first 2 miles are quite steep, and hiking poles may be helpful. No bathrooms at trailhead.
Wildflowers along the trail, August 2020
View of Mt Adams and St Helens from the trail down from Peak 6050, August 2020
Getting there:
Click here for the TH location on Google Maps
The directions linked above are spot on. The route that takes 410 is more scenic than driving to the west and south of Mount Rainier, so if you are driving during daylight hours I recommend it. The road to the trailhead is unpaved for the last 7 miles, but was in good condition when we drove it with just a few potholes and any car should be able to navigate. The trailhead itself doesn’t have a real parking lot but rather a series of pull outs from the forest road that you can parallel park in.
View of Mount Rainier and Tatoosh Lakes from Peak 6050, August 2020
A narrow part of the trail, August 2020
Hike description:
Although much of this trail is an easy grade through beautiful wildflower meadows, the first 2 miles are quite brutal. You’ll hike a series of steep switchbacks and then traverse a forested slope as you gain 2200 feet in the first 2 miles. Shortly after the trail enters more open slopes, and at 2.4 miles you’ll reach a signed intersection for Tatoosh Lakes. Continue along the trail to the right along a now mostly flat trail through meadows bursting with wildflowers. To your right Mount Saint Helens will soon appear, and be sure to check behind you to see your first glimpses of Mount Rainier. Eventually Mount Adams will make an appearance straight ahead as well. Along this section is an unsigned fork in the trail, with the right hand trail displaying a “trail abandoned” sign. Keep to the left to continue on the main trail.
At 2.9 miles you’ll crest a ridge and come to an unsigned intersection. Turn to the left to climb 350 feet in 0.2 miles to reach Peak 6050 with great views of Mount Rainier and Tatoosh Lakes below. This is a great spot for a snack, but if you’re short on time or energy for the day you can skip this little side trip and know that the views from Tatoosh Peak are even better. I made sure to add it to my trip because it’s listed as an official peak on peakbaggers and I wanted to be able to check it off!
Mt Adams and the Goat Rocks from the trail to Tatoosh Peak, August 2020
Wildflowers and Mt St Helens from the trail, August 2020
Head back down the steep spur trail to return to the main Tatoosh Ridge trail. Take a left to hike gently downhill for about 0.5 miles through more wonderful wildflower meadows. From here you can see the trail cutting across the slopes across from you and crossing several avalanche gullies and streams. As you continue to hike you’ll find the trail narrows in places with a steep dropoff to your right. Although this felt fine for me when I hiked it, if the trail erodes or if any snow is present I have to imagine it would feel really sketchy.
If the conditions are favorable, keep hiking along the flat trail as it crosses more wonderful wildflower meadows. I don’t think I’ve ever been on a hike with so many wildflower meadows, and this really made this part of the hike fly by! After a short uphill section, at 4.6 miles from the trailhead you’ll reach a hard to see intersection that takes a sharp left from the trail. This is the trail for Tatoosh Peak, although the sign is somewhat obscured about 10 feet up the trail. The very first part of this trail was overgrown and somewhat eroded when we hiked it, so scramble up the initial part to find an otherwise easy to follow trail. Hike another 0.7 miles and 500 feet of elevation gain on a beautiful singletrack trail through even more wildflower meadows to reach Tatoosh Peak. Wow! The view of Mount Rainier from here is truly incredible, with the sharp peaks of the Tatoosh range in the foreground and a beautiful brilliant blue tarn down below. You can also find lots of evidence here of the fire lookout that used to be here in the form of rusty nails, broken glass, and other hardware. Between the views from up here and the millions of wildflowers along the way by now you’ve probably forgotten the climb during the first 2 miles of this hike. Bask in those views for as long as you can before starting the trip down – you’ll want to remember why it was worth it when you’re hiking down those steep 2 miles at the end!