[Karen]

Ever have a day where you couldn't decide to hike? Drove around the Crystal Mountain area for a while but since I am not a skier, I was confused by the parking situation there. Other than Norse Peak, I've never hiked there and there were still signs up saying "Authorized vehicles only" and not being sure what "those" were, I knew I was in no way "authorized" so I went back to SR 410 and on to the White River entrance (Mt Rainier National Park). Thumbed through the guidebook, looked at the map, remembered Sar's "snow" report of this region so opted for the Wonderland Trail to see how far I could get toward Summerland. Incidentally the White River Road is closed at about 5 miles in, according to the sign . The trailhead for the Wonderland Trail at Fryingpan Creek is only 3 miles in. This was a new trail for me and perfect for today's conditions. Good views of Fryingpan Creek begin after a gain of 600 feet of gain or so and soon after that I began to hit snow patches. Of course, as is always the case, the snow patches got closer and closer together and by the time I approached the bridge at Fryingpan Creek it was pretty much snow-covered. Easy to follow, though, as several folks have already hiked in, crossed the bridge and continued to Summerland. I made the bridge my turnaround -- the snow was getting "post holey" and it felt good to sit in the sun and listen to the creek. Nice views of Mount Rainier from the bridge. There were a few other hikers on the trail today too, taking advantage of the sunny weather. On the way back I explored off-trail a bit and found a remnant of an old trail that lead to some dramatic overlooks of the creek. There are some drop-dead views (no pun intended) off-trail but certainly no place to slip. I'd recommend gaiters for the trail but my ice axe never left my pack. Six miles round trip, about 1,400 feet elevation gain. Karen

Don't fall here

[sarbar]

Karen, that is nice to hear! (Btw..the rd is closed at the junction for the WR campground/Sunrise rd. The rd to the CG opens in a couple weeks..so soon Glacier Basin will be able to do PS: As for Crystal....I always park up right near the buildings in summer/fall-and I know that is ok (on the pavement). Seems if they are closed for the season that should be fine.