Naches Peak Loop

Drove up to the Tipsoo Lake parking area in Mt Rainier National Park to hike the Naches Peak Loop Trail and see the fall colors on a cloudy day. The views came and went throughout the morning. I saw some fall color and some wildflowers in bloom on this late summer day. My route today was 4 miles with 580 ft of overall gain. It was very cloudy at the start, pond near Tipsoo Lake

Fall color in the meadow

As I walked around Tipsoo Lake, I could barely see Naches Peak or Yakima Peak

As the clouds began to lift, I watched Yakima Peak emerge

I continued back to the other side of Tipsoo Lake to view Naches Peak where I saw some mountain goats way up on the slopes, and a blurry zoom photo of the goats

It began to rain, so I put on my rain coat and pants and continued hiking on the loop trail clockwise towards the Nationa Forest side of the loop

The trail becomes part of the Pacific Crest Trail heading southward, looking back and nice views of Yakima Peak and other peaks to the north

As the trail entered the William O Douglas Wilderness, the rain stopped and some blue skies appeared along with lovely fall colors on the trail

mountain tarn on the east side of the loop with some waterfowl

More views and color as the clouds moved around the nearby peaks as I continued around the loop

On the Mt Rainier National Park side of the loop, I had some partial views of Mt Rainier and other peaks in the area (some photos are zoomed in)

As I neared the end of the loop, it was very cloudy again

Views of Little Tipsoo Lake

some of the wildflowes seen along the trail today