Mount Rainier: Ohanapecosh

After a six mile hike over Rampart Ridge and a picnic I was exhausted but not ready to go back to the cabin. So as Keltin drove from one side of the park to the other I napped in the car. The napped saved me and made sure that I had plenty of energy for the next hike. This section of the park is named after the river that runs through the area: Ohanapecosh River. This area of the park is beautiful and delicate.

We first headed down the Silver Falls trails. The waterfall is less than a mile from the trailhead and is a fairly easy hike. You can hear the crash of the water long before coming up to the falls. This is a popular trail and the parking lot at the trailhead nearest to the falls is fairly small and gets full quickly – even when the park is not super busy. Despite still waking up at the start of the hike, this is a must take trail.

Silver Falls is a loop but we went back the short way we had come and made our way to the portion of the trail on the other side of the road – to the Grove of the Patriarchs. This trail is a mile loop and rated easy. Before getting to the grove though there is a suspension bridge that only one person at a time may cross. I loved the bridge but there were other visitors that I watched nervously cross.

The Grove of the Patriarchs is old growth forest. These delicate trees are over a thousand years old, they deserve to be admired and be respected. If they could speak, the stories that they could tell of all the time they have seen. These ancient trees are the closest thing to immortals that we will ever see.

This is a great portion of the park to visit, not only is it beautiful but there is so much to learn and the appreciate about the area. Have you see the Grove of the Patriarchs or Silver Falls? What did you think? Let me know in the comments.

Thank you KW Photography for allowing me to use your wonderful photos!

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