Reflection Lake, Bench Lake and Snow Lake - Mt. Rainier, WA

May 13, 2016

Stevens Canyon Road is partially plowed now and the road is open from Paradise Road to Snow Lake trailhead.

Since I've done quite a bit of snowshoeing adventures from Paradise area this snow season, I was looking for something different when I arrived at Paradise yesterday. So, I asked a ranger at the visitor center for a suggestion. He suggested snowshoeing into Bench and Snow Lake as Stevens Canyon Road was recently plowed and partially open. I took his recommendation and headed down to Stevens Canyon Road from Paradise.

On the way, I stopped at Reflection Lake to see how the lake looked like.....it's still snow/ice covered, but some melting. I could find a reflection of Mt. Rainier in a small pool of water, however.

Stevens Canyon Road is blocked off at Snow Lake trailhead and there is a small off road parking area by the trailhead. There is no restroom, so use the ones at Paradise or Narada Falls.

I was thinking of putting on snowshoes at first, but after assessing the snow condition and boot tracks of previous hikers, I decided to snow-hike without snowshoes. From the trailhead sign, I followed the trail and the rest was just to follow boot tacks through the thin forest. The hike gently climbs until you reach the open space (snow covered meadows). From there I kept trekking towards Tatoosh Range/Unicorn peak....pretty much straight forward. The snow was a little slushy all along, but not icy....relatively firm and occasionally soft. I experienced no post-holing.

Instead of traveling by Bench Lake, I set my course to Snow Lake aiming to ascend directly up to the saddle (steep, but short) from the end of the meadow. There is a big rock on top of the saddle where you can sweep the view of Mt. Rainier and the meadow down below. From the saddle I continued the journey down towards Unicorn Peak and soon reached Snow Lake. Snow Lake is still mostly snow covered at this point. It was interesting to see a gully above Snow Lake which is the gateway to summit Unicorn Peak....highest peak among Tatoosh Range.

I enjoyed this hike with the mountain views of Mt. Rainer and Tatoosh Range and the terrains along the hike providing me serenity and solemnity. In comparison, I could imagine how busy this trail would be with many hikers once snow melts and into summer.

The trail is still buried under snow at this point...at least a few feet of snow, it seems....except the beginning of the trail by the trailhead. There is one narrow/shallow creek en route, but easy to cross. Although I hiked without snowshoes or microspikes and encountered no issues yesterday, snowshoes may be helpful, depending on your comfort level and assessment of the snow condition.

This is a great short hike if you prefer a quiet and less crowded (for now) adventure and something different from Paradise area. In fact, I am intrigued to explore Unicorn Peak now after this hike!