Groves of the Patriarchs

Drove to the Stevens Canyon Entrance of Mt Rainier National Park to hike to the Grove of the Patriarchs. This is a 1.5 mile round trip hike. Hiked 0.3 miles up the Eastside Trail on the north side of the road to a suspension bridge over the Ohanapecosh River. It is recommended that 1 person crosses the bridge at a time, so we had to wait our turn to cross.

Views along the river today, such a beautiful teal color.

Then a short trail leads to a loop through these tall trees.

















some of the wildflowers we saw along the trail today:

 

Grove of the Patriarchs

For my second hike on the east side of Mt Rainier National Park, I did the short 1 mile hike to the Grove of the Patriarchs. This hike along with the Silver Falls Loop Hike can be done together as there is a 1/2 mile trail connecting the two. (They are also connected to the Cowlitz Divide Trail and the Eastside Trail making lots of combinations of longer hiking possible.)
This hike is just west of the Stevens Canyon Entrance of Mt Rainier NP.
It goes through a mixed forest of conifers and vine maples along the west side of the Ohanapecosh River. Then the trail crosses a suspension bridge to an "island" in the Ohanapecosh River.

 This is one of the bounciest suspension bridges I have crossed.

The Ohanapecosh River is crystal clear. I saw some hikers cooling off in the water.

 On a hot day, it was refreshing to be hiking in the shade of these large trees.

 Roots of a fallen conifer.

 Some of these trees were too tall to get a photo to the top.

 The roots of another fallen conifer.


















And the trail takes you back across the suspension bridge.