Boundary Trail, August 9, 2009

West Boundary Trail (Mount Rainier National Park)

Hiking abandoned trails is a little bit like listening to jazz - you know where the trail begins but you never know where it will take you.

The Boundary Trail is one of our favorite hidden trails within/near Mount Rainier National Park. It is believed that most of the Boundary Trail was built during the Civilian Conservation Corps era; most of the trail was removed from the parks maintenance list in the early 1970s. The trail once circumnavigated the boundary of the park. A few stretches remain and are still somewhat user-friendly including a section near the Carbon River entrance and another near the Nisqually entrance. Some maintenance continues on those trails – don’t attempt these trails unless you have route-finding skills and equipment.

We’d hiked the trail from the Carbon River entrance to Alki Crest 5-6 years ago, getting as far as Tolmie Creek (no, we don’t know why it is called Alki Crest). We didn’t know how far we’d get today but conditions were ideal for a steep hike in the forest: cool and cloudy.

The boundary trail starts from the nature trail just on the other side of a footbridge (assuming you are hiking the nature trail clockwise); it’s hard to miss. The “abandoned trail” sign was missing but again if you are looking for the trail, you won’t have any trouble spotting it. Though steep, the first part of the trail is as good as established trails inside the park, at least initially. We also spotted 3-4 old signs for the Boundary Trail along the way.

The trail is mostly in old-growth forest, ideal conditions for saprophytes such as coralroot and Indian pipe. We don’t see as much Indian pipe as we used to so we were glad to come across some at the end of a switchback. We also saw vanilla leaf, a variety of ferns and moss (a little on the dry side), Devil’s club with spikes of red berries and lots of thimbleberry past its prime. We found a few blueberries off-trail; always good to find these. Shelf fungus juts out from snags peppered with woodpecker holes and from fallen/downed trees beside the trail.

At one point the trail crosses a steep slope where a washout occurred; a path of rubble descends all the way to the Carbon River Road. It would truly have been a sight to witness from a safe vantage when this occurred. A little further there is a split in the trail at a cut log – turn left.

At about 3,200 feet we crossed a stream; not a problem in August. This is a pretty spot to linger a while and take a break, especially on a hot day. Beyond the stream the trail is a little rockier but still easy to follow and in surprisingly good shape even where maintenance ends.

At another point we skirted a boulder field (left); it was so foggy we could barely see the shapes of the rocks. Here the hellebore was almost tall and Corydalis covered parts of the trail; we sought the trail with our feet. It was moist enough from fog and drizzle that we got soaked going through the Corydalis; we’re grateful for our quick-dry pants.

Once past this spot the trail was easy to follow; near the crest we encountered markers on the trees, some with numbers but don’t know what purpose those serve or have served in the past.

The trail levels out briefly at Alki Crest, a forested pass without views. Nevertheless, this is a good turnaround and there are fallen trees that serve as places to settle for a while before turning around or continuing. We elected to turn around as we were short on time and knew it would take us almost as long to get down as it did to climb to the crest.

On the previous visit we did get go down the other side of the “crest” and got as far as Tolmie Creek. The crossing was tricky and from the creek the trail was marginal at best, difficult to follow. It is about a 1,200-foot descent from the crest to the creek.

There is also a route of sorts to Florence Peak from the Boundary Trail but I’ve only done it on snowshoes and it was a long time ago. I don’t know whether or not there is a “trail”. Some branches of The Mountaineers lead Florence Peak as a winter scramble.

Stats: 6 miles round trip, just under 3,000 feet gain.

Deadwood Lakes, July 12, 2009

Deadwood Lakes, July 12, 2009


A few years ago I became almost obsessed over finding and exploring abandoned trails. That has not diminished much in recent years though aging has slowed me down a bit from pursuing some of the more strenuous routes in my book “Hidden Hikes”. Deadwood Lakes was one of the “easier” trails in that now out-of-print tome. Hard to believe that “Hidden Hikes” is now going for hundreds of dollars on Amazon! Would or could I do a second edition or a revision? Probably, yes. The spirit is willing and the body still in good enough shape to pursue those trails; albeit at a slower pace. Is there a need? That’s a question hard to answer – now that abandoned trails pop up everywhere on The Internet to anyone who is interested.

That being said, we went back yesterday to check out Deadwood Lakes from Chinook Pass. The “trailhead” for this trail is the Pacific Crest Trail (in the parking lot for the PCT just east of the pass). You can also access the Naches Peak Loop from this trailhead (a part of the PCT runs through it). A spur from the trailhead connects to the PCT – hike east (right) if Deadwood Lakes is your destination; west (left) for the Naches Peak Loop.

In less than 100 feet look for an obvious trail heading uphill (north) on the left. There may be branches over the trail. The trail didn’t seem to show more signs of foot traffic than it did 10 or so years ago; still, the path is easy enough for an experienced hiker to follow.

In about 300 feet we came to a “pass” and a park sign with rules and regulations for use within the park. This is where the trail enters the park. Here we met an off-duty park ranger and chatted with him about the trail and other hiking-related topics, including other forgotten trails.

From the pass the trail drops down, at times steeply, about 400 feet to the lakes. En route there are overlooks of the lakes; one of them outstanding a little off trail (left). Looking down on the lakes may provide a better view than from the lakeshore. There were a few patches of snow on the downward stretch; not enough to warrant cause for alarm or need of an ice axe.

Flowers are blooming in various ages of youth and age; Western pasque flowers, bear grass, glacier and avalanche lilies, heather, an occasional columbine and Mertensia (bluebells) at lower elevations. Mountain ash is prevalent; in fall the white flowers will transition to orange-red berries. A few marsh marigolds are popping up in boggy areas, especially around the lakes.

The main trail leads to the first of the two lakes; Yakima Peak rises above the lake bold and imposing. Quiet meadows encircle the lake mixed in with willow bogs. This time of year it is hard to reach the lakeshore; the meadows are soggy and fragile with grasses and plants just coming into bloom.

The second lake is harder to locate; it is well disguised by a web of fisherman and game trails. You’ll have to look a little harder to find the second lake; a dense, forested isthmus separates the lakes.

It took us a few tries to find the second lake but we were determined; I remembered a sandy area we’d named the “beach” on that first visit and wanted to see it again. We did find it but it wasn’t very beach-like in June; rather it was where a soggy meadow met the lakeshore. The lakeshore was pocked with elk and goat prints. In fact, we could smell elk as we approached the lake but didn’t see them.

We hiked back out without encountering anyone else on the trail. We stopped at the pass while my companion took a break as I followed an old trail along the ridge in an easterly direction toward Peak No. 6,468. I was tempted to climb the peak but hesitate to scramble alone so turned back once I reached the base. En route there are several easy rock-outcroppings with a stunning view of both lakes.

For the best outcropping with a view of the lakes: at the pass follow the easy path (right) – the viewpoint of the lakes is about 50 feet above the pass. That will be far enough for most hikers.