Mount Fremont
Sep. 20th, 2025 10:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tiggymalvern
I went back to Tahoma/Mount Rainier National Park this week (got to get the high mountain hikes in before the snow comes!) and went to the old Mount Fremont fire lookout. The day was just gorgeous - completely cloudless blue skies and minimal haze.
Even the parking area is pretty at Sunrise. The lodge with bushes in front and meadows rising behind.
Frozen Lake, where the Fremont trail splits from several others.
Tahoma/Rainier with Burroughs Mountain in front of it and Berkeley Park meadows below. Seen from where the trail starts to climb the flank of Mount Fremont. A few weeks ago with the wildfire smoke, it was almost invisible; just a vague hint of a shape.
A herd of mountain goats on a hillside in Berkeley Park. They were just moving little white dots with the naked eye, but the binoculars and camera made them clearer.
Looking back to Tahoma/Rainier as the trail climbs the western side of Fremont.
And ahead to the fire lookout - that little dot sticking out of the mountainside where the trail ends.
Arriving at the lookout.
Tahoma/Rainier viewed from the lookout. This was my lunch spot :-)
View across to the plateau meadow called Grand Park.
A golden-mantled ground squirrel.
There was also a very distant view of a bear in one of the meadows, but my photo of that came out even worse than the goats, so not included here!
Looking over Frozen Lake and beyond on the walk back down.
There was a volunteer ranger in the lookout who said that it's possible to book an overnight stay in it. That's something I've never heard of and I can't find any information about it on the park website. It wouldn't be a particularly comfortable night, but with the right weather, it would be worth it for the sunset, the stars and the sunrise. I'll try to remember to contact the park and ask about that next year...
Even the parking area is pretty at Sunrise. The lodge with bushes in front and meadows rising behind.
Frozen Lake, where the Fremont trail splits from several others.
Tahoma/Rainier with Burroughs Mountain in front of it and Berkeley Park meadows below. Seen from where the trail starts to climb the flank of Mount Fremont. A few weeks ago with the wildfire smoke, it was almost invisible; just a vague hint of a shape.
A herd of mountain goats on a hillside in Berkeley Park. They were just moving little white dots with the naked eye, but the binoculars and camera made them clearer.
Looking back to Tahoma/Rainier as the trail climbs the western side of Fremont.
And ahead to the fire lookout - that little dot sticking out of the mountainside where the trail ends.
Arriving at the lookout.
Tahoma/Rainier viewed from the lookout. This was my lunch spot :-)
View across to the plateau meadow called Grand Park.
A golden-mantled ground squirrel.
There was also a very distant view of a bear in one of the meadows, but my photo of that came out even worse than the goats, so not included here!
Looking over Frozen Lake and beyond on the walk back down.
There was a volunteer ranger in the lookout who said that it's possible to book an overnight stay in it. That's something I've never heard of and I can't find any information about it on the park website. It wouldn't be a particularly comfortable night, but with the right weather, it would be worth it for the sunset, the stars and the sunrise. I'll try to remember to contact the park and ask about that next year...
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Date: 2025-09-21 06:28 am (UTC)We're in West Australia at the moment. We spent yesterday afternoon and this morning whale watching from the coast :) If you ever get over here, you need to see WA. It's just incredible, even though we have only seen the south western corner!
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Date: 2025-09-21 07:23 am (UTC)