As I've said before, I don't like to let a little rain deter me from enjoying the great outdoors (especially not while I'm on vacation). So, with the forecast predicting intermittent rain showers we headed into Rainier National Park with lower elevation hikes in mind.
Bench and Snow Lakes hikes trail was the perfect hike for us that day (6/27). My guess is the views would have been all the more stunning with sunny weather. But the drizzle and mist with very brief passing showers gave the hike an other-worldly tone. With the mists shifting with the wind. One minute you had a clear view of the mountain range and up the valley, the next it was obscured by a translucent gray curtain - very cool.
(Snow Lake)
The trail starts at a fair-sized parking lot on the side of the road. AllTrails has this out and back hike tagged at 2.2 miles with approximately 456 feet of elevation gain. AllTrails states the hike takes an average of 1 hour and 6 minutes to complete. Our group definitely took longer as we stopped often to take pictures, enjoy the scenery, and watch a deer make its way along the forest from a viewpoint above Bench Lake.
(Deer on far left at the tree line, wandering away from Bench Lake)
There are a few steep spots along the trail, but all in all, pretty flat and easy going. There were a few portions of the trail which were still snow covered, but packed down, so no issues. No spikes or crampons needed, just some solid hiking boots. There is one water crossing where you walk across a log and then scramble up the bank on the far side. Had to do some nimble stepping and use some tree roots for grips to ascend/descend the far bank, so be aware if you have children in your group. There is a short spur path which takes you down to view Bench Lake. I would encourage you take the short trek. It's always nice to get a different view and you can see across the lake to the mountains on the other side (when the clouds clear a bit).
When you get to the intersection where the trail splits and you can take the left to the pit toilet/campsites or take the right to continue around the lake (depending on your time), I would advise you take the right trail to walk to the far side of the lake. But then return and take the left trail to a large rock that opens up the view to look across Snow Lake and up at the ridgeline opposite. We sat there for quite a while (since the weather had abated a bit - at least it wasn't raining) and enjoyed the view, ate lunch, and just took it all in. The water is a beautiful shade of blue-green and if it were a sunny day I would definitely have taken a refreshing dip. As it was that day, the wind made the prospect of a swim a little less appealing.
(Snow Lake)
Advise from my experience:
I would absolutely recommend this hike as either an easy hike for the day, or combine it with other short hikes in the area if you are looking to pack your day with sights.
Appropriate Footwear - whenever you are going anywhere in nature you need to make sure you have the appropriate footwear. Sturdy shoes, good traction are a must.
Appropriate gear - be prepared for different types of weather. Dress in layers. Water-wicking clothing. A base layer. Layers for added warmth (I like 3/4 zip long sleeves, sometimes a vest), and a wind/waterproof layer like a raincoat. We also had water resistant covers for our packs to keep anything inside dry as well. No use packing extra layers to keep you warm if those clothes get wet inside the pack.
Timed Entry Passes - you need to buy timed entry passes for Rainier now. They are dependent on which entrance you will be going in. You buy them online ahead of time. They have a limited number of passes for each day and are "released" or open for sale on certain days a few months prior to the entry day. You buy a ticket for a specific day and time for one vehicle. The tickets were only $2/car and they are valid for a 2 hour entry time period. However at the time that we purchased, you can only buy 2 tickets, so if you are going to be there multiple days, or aren't sure when you will be at the park, you may want to have multiple people in your group buy a few tickets.
National Park Pass - you also need to buy a pass for the park itself. We purchased an America the Beautiful National Park pass, which is valid for all national parks within the USA. Since our group was going to be visiting several parks over several days during our trip, we considered this to be worth it. (You can check out a link I provided in a previous blog post regarding national park passes - see notes section at bottom of Discovery Point at Crater Lake post)
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