Tolmie Peak Fire Lookout Trail, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington

The view from the Tolmie Peak Lookout.

The road up to the trailhead at Mowich Lake is 17 miles long and is a rough, dirt road with some climbing, which was a fun trip for my 2017 skyblue Jeep Wrangler JKU Chief Edition.

After turning onto the Mowich Lake Road, which is beyond the Carbon River Bridge, right outside the town of Carbonado.  The road up to the lake is 17 miles long and is a rough, dirt road with some climbing, which was a fun trip for my 2017 sky blue Jeep Wrangler JKU Chief Edition.  Although many cars made the trip up to Mowich Lake, I suggest bringing a high clearance vehicle.

The trailhead is located on the left side of the road in the parking area at Mowich campground.  The hike starts along the west side of Mowich Lake for about half a mile before turning northward to Ipsut Pass.  The Mowich campground is a walk-in only facility along the Wonderland Trail.  Many hikers and campers were taking a dip in the lake, probably celebrating the completion of their hike. Remember to check with the Washington Trails Association Hiking Guide or a park ranger before you try this hike. The roads leading to both the Tolmie and Fremont lookout trails typically open in late June/early July.

Views of Mount Raineer and Mowich Lake near the start of the Tolmie Peak Trail.

The trail joins part of the Wonderland Trail and goes along the west side of Mowich Lake through an open lowland forest. The trail then starts to gradually gaining elevation, then things get steep as the trail moves away from the lake and after about 2 miles (from trailhead) is Ipsut Pass.

Reflections of the fall colors in Eunice Lake.

Keep left at the pass and continue another 0.8 miles to big blue Eunice Lake. Just be careful not to trample the fragile meadows around the lake.

Beautiful reflections and fall colors in Eunice Lake from the Tolmie Peak Trail.

The trail continues past Eunice Lake for the final climb up switchbacks to the Tolmie Peak Lookout, about a mile from the lake. This section of trail gets pretty steep during the climb to Tolmie Peak. The trail bends around to the north side of the peak for views of the peaks and valleys north, including the large Carbon River Valley.

Beautiful fall colors in the foliage along the trail as it continues past Eunice Lake for the final uphill grind to the Tolmie Peak Lookout, about a mile from the lake.

The Tolmie Peak Fire Lookout is one of four fire lookout stations built in Mount Rainier National Park by the United States National Park Service (NPS) between 1932 and 1934. The two-story structure houses a lookout station on the upper level and storage at ground level. The design was prepared under the supervision of Edwin A. Nickel of the NPS Branch of Plans and Designs.

View of the Tolmie Peak Lookout looking to the south.

The Tolmie Peak Lookout was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 13, 1991. It is part of the Mount Rainier National Historic Landmark District, which encompasses the entire park and which recognizes the park’s inventory of Park Service-designed rustic architecture. National Register Information System ID #91000195

The Tolmie Peak Lookout was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 13, 1991.

Once arriving at the Tolmie Peak Lookout, turn your attention to the large mountain visible to the south. Rainier is huge from this vantage point, and the sapphire blue Eunice Lake scintillating at the bottom of Tolmie Peak provides an awesome place for a photo.

Looking to the southeast from the Tolmie Peak Lookout, Mount Rainier is the large volcanic mountain with Eunice Lake directly below.

Tolmie Peak is a 5,920-foot (1,800 m) peak in northwestern Mount Rainier National Park, Washington. It is located 2 miles (3.2 km) northwest of Mowich Lake. The two streams that drain the slopes of Tolmie Peak, Tolmie Creek and Ranger Creek, meet up with the Carbon River, which flows into the Puyallup River and Puget Sound. Eunice Lake is just south of Tolmie Peak in a basin carved by glaciers (Beckey, 2000). Howard Peak is northwest of Tolmie Peak.

That’s Mount St. Helens and Mount Adams in the distance, looking to the south.

Tolmie Peak is named for Dr. William Fraser Tolmie (Majors, 1975), In August 1833, employed by Hudson’s Bay Company and stationed at the newly built Fort Nisqually, Dr. Tolmie made the first recorded exploration of the Mount Rainier area. Unable to summit Rainier itself, Tolmie and two Indian guides, Lachalet and Nuckalkat, summited one of the snowy peaks near the Mowich River headwaters. Although Tolmie Peak is named for this event, it is not known exactly which peak was climbed (Morgan, 1979).

View of Mount Rainier from the Fire Lookout, looking southeast.

 

<img src=”https://www.skyblueoverland.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/AdobeStock_11589002.jpg” alt=”View of the Tolmie Peak Lookout looking to the north.” />

View of the Tolmie Peak Lookout looking to the north.

 

Tolmie Peak Trail Hoodie

Get the hoodie that was inspired by the Tolmie Peak Trail!

Guidebooks, Maps and References

USGS Golden Lakes and Mowich Lake Quadrangle Maps

Trails Illustrated Mount Rainier National Park; Earthwalk Press Hiking Map & Guide

Washington Trails Association Hiking Guide

Asars, Tami (2018). Day Hiking Mount Rainier: National Park, Crystal Mountain, Cayuse and Chinook Passes (2nd ed.). Mountaineers Books.

Beckey, Fred W. (2000). Cascade Alpine Guide, Vol. 1, Columbia River to Stevens Pass (3rd ed.). Mountaineers Books. p. 133. ISBN 0-89886-577-8.

Edlerkin, Susan. (2018). “Best Hikes with Kids: Western Washington.” Mountaineers Books.

Harvey, David (September 30, 1982). “Pacific Northwest Regional Office Inventory: Tolmie Peak Fire Lookout“. National Park Service.

Mary Skjelset & Heidi Radlinski (2018). “Hiking Mount Rainier National Park.” Falcon Press Publishing. p. 908642024

Majors, Harry M. (1975). Exploring Washington. Van Winkle Publishing Co. p. 125. ISBN 9780918664006.

Morgan, Murray (1979). Puget’s Sound: A Narrative of Early Tacoma and the Southern Sound. Seattle: University of Washington Press. pp. 30–36. ISBN 0-295-95842-1.

“National Register Information System”. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.

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The photos in this blog post can be viewed and purchased on SmugMug.com in the Tolmie Peak Lookout Gallery.