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Spray Park

RECOMMENDED ROUTE
Intermediate/Difficult
 5.0 (21) RECOMMENDED ROUTE
  1. Areas
  2. WA
  3. …Southwest Washington
  4. …Mount Rainier National Park
  5. Carbon/Mowich
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“An open forest journey to subalpine meadows and Spray Falls. ”

Tom Robson
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Map Key

6.5

Miles

10.5

KM

Loop

5,845' 1,782 m

High

4,723' 1,440 m

Low

1,627' 496 m

Up

1,623' 495 m

Down

9%

Avg Grade (5°)

51%

Max Grade (27°)

Dogs No Dogs

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

Treat water before drinking. Fires are prohibited. No pets on trails.

Overview

Spray Park seems to hit all of the Rainier high points:
  • Waterfall
  • Rainier views
  • Glacier views
  • ...and Wildflowers

Need to Know

The subalpine meadows of Spray Park are delicate and easily damaged. Please stay on the constructed trails and rest on rocks near the trail. Try to minimize your impact on this fragile environment so that it remains beautiful.

Eagle's Roost Camp is located in open forest near Spray Falls. A trip to view the falls at sunset is well worth the effort! Permits are required for camping. Permits and current trail conditions are available park-wide from wilderness information centers, ranger stations, and visitor centers.

Description

The trailhead is located on the southeast side of Mowich Lake walk-in campground at the end of the Mowich Lake Road.

The trail descends .25 mile to a junction with the Wonderland Trail. Follow the Spray-Seattle Park east for two miles, up and down forested terrain, across Lee Creek and eventually to the junction with a spur trail to view Spray Falls. The next half mile to the first meadows of Spray Park is a steep climb on a series of switchbacks. More extensive meadows are found in another half mile.

Flora & Fauna

Open forest predominates for most of this route. 1.5 miles from the trailhead, Eagle's Cliff overlook offers a spectacular view of Mount Rainier and the Mowich Glacier. Later, a short spur trail leads to a good view of Spray Falls. During the height of summer, the flowering meadows of Spray Park rival the beauty of any in the park.

History & Background

Spray Park and Falls were likely named in 1883 by a trail construction crew who noted how the cascading water of the falls broke "into a mass of spray."

Contacts

Land Manager: National Park Service - Mount Rainier National Park

Shared By:

Tom Robson
Full Details

Trail Ratings

  5.0 from 21 votes

#2

in Carbon/Mowich

#299

Overall
  5.0 from 21 votes
5 Star
95%
4 Star
5%
3 Star
0%
2 Star
0%
1 Star
0%
Recommended Route Rankings

#2

in Carbon/Mowich

#25

in Washington

#299

Overall
73 Views Last Month
5,008 Since Mar 5, 2015
Intermediate/Difficult
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Photos

Great Sunrise on Mt. Rainier from the approach trail
Jul 22, 2018 near Eatonville, WA
The eponymous Mt. Rainier.
Feb 26, 2015 near Eatonville, WA
View of Mt Rainier from Spray Park
Sep 7, 2018 near Eatonville, WA
Spray Falls
Feb 26, 2015 near Eatonville, WA
Mt. Rainier after a long dry summer.
Nov 11, 2016 near Eatonville, WA
Is that Mount Rainier? I think it is.
Feb 26, 2015 near Eatonville, WA

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Current Trail Conditions

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Check-Ins

Sep 2, 2019
Jonathan Dawn
7mi
Jul 20, 2019
Lora Osborne
Miles include a couple side jaunts for viewpoints and a mile total to get back and forth from parking. Get there before 9am! 8.5mi
Oct 20, 2018
Al G
Sep 23, 2018
Mingwei Cui
Color meadow in fall 9.9mi
Sep 22, 2018
Will Schott
Aug 16, 2018
Sophia Riffkin
Aug 16, 2018
Xai Xiong
Stopped at the waterfall for pictures. Had lunch on top of the meadow. Lingered and enjoyed the hike as much as possible. Smoke obscured Mt. R. 6.5mi — 5h 00m
Jul 26, 2018
Sasha Conley
Stunning views of mt. Rainier 9mi

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