Last weekend my parents got the whole family together for some camping on Mt. Rainier. As kids we used to camp at least once a month during the summer, but with growing up comes busier lives and tougher scheduling. After some thanks from Doodle (a handy scheduling tool) we found a weekend and set up reservations at Ohanapecosh Campground. It’s a really pretty campground set in the southeast corner of the mountain, also known as the farthest corner from Seattle (but come on the drive is beautiful). We lucked out with a campsite along the forest and no neighbors!
After making Candied Ginger and Lemon Scones in the Dutch oven saturday morning (yes, fancy camping! recipe from here), we found the ranger and chatted about hikes in the area. She recommended taking the Eastside Trail to Ohanapecosh Falls and sidestepping to see the Grove of Patriarchs along the way. There was a great suspension bridge for crossing the river to the Grove of Patriarchs. It’s technically recommended one at a time, but groups of 4-5 took turns. After seeing the huge old growth trees, we headed back to the Eastside Trail and continued towards Deer Creak for the Falls. And as it turns out most day hikers just turn around after the Grove of Patriarchs. So if getting out of the crowd is your thing this is for you, as in we only saw three hikers after that. Very peaceful indeed. After a few miles of crossing creeks and mini waterfalls you come to Ohanapecosh Falls. You can just barely see it through the forest (3rd photo above) before you come to a bridge atop the Falls. It’s more of a meandering waterfall then straight down, but boy does it look powerful. After resting a bit on the bridge we headed back into camp for tacos and Dutch Oven Peach Cobbler. And I’m telling you, dutch ovens are worth every penny you spend!
Happy friday everyone, hope you’re able to get out and enjoy some sunshine! I will be spending my Saturday, dabbling my hands in food photography with Aran Goyoaga of Cannelle et Vanille.
Distance: ~10.5 miles RT (This really depends on which section of the Eastside trail you take)
Family friendly: Yes
Lettering by Holly Dunning.
Photos taken with my Nikon D3000, Ohanapecosh falls photo by Jeff Dunning.
