Berkeley Park Flowers

Reviewed By: Milt on Monday, August 2, 2010 @ 08:24:18 PM

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We parked at Sunrise and was going to do the Burroughs trail, but even the 2nd of Aug. wasn't late enough to melt off enough snow to make safe passage. We were told by a park volunteer to go take the trail into Berkeley Park and see the flowers. Good suggestion! The trail is easy. It's all down hill into the valley and follows a cool, clearwater stream. Photo opps are everywhere. carpets of flowers blooming and little streams cut across the trail at every turn. We stopped at a campsite, walked down to the water and took a break. We called it a day and started heading back. What was an easy descent earlier turned into sort of an uphill grind trekking back up the trail. The only reason to go into Berkeley Park is for the flowers late July/early August, so plan accordingly. Bugs were a slight problem, so bring the bug spray.

Isn't It Grand To Think So

Reviewed By: Alex on Monday, July 20, 2009 @ 07:05:51 AM

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My brother and I left the Sunrise parking lot at 1:00 pm, on the dot.  We hadn't been up there in 2 years.  We were using this hike to test out some new gear and as a warm up for Muir in a couple weeks and the Goat Rocks PCT in a month.  We couldn't get in a good rhythm until we cleared the procession of hikers around Frozen Lake.  Berkley Park was gorgeous.  The wild flowers were in bloom, the springs and snow really added to the surroundings.  We got mobbed by bugs in Berkley.  We caught some great views of the Mountain on the way to Grand Park.  In Grand Park the flowers were in full swing.  We walked to the Lake Eleanor JCT, took pictures and hoofed it back.  It was a round trip of 5 1/2 hours.  The marmots and wildflowers and in-your-face views of Mount Rainier made the hike thoroughly enjoyable.  Great hike overall.

Grand Park from Lake Eleanor

Reviewed By: Wendy and John on Monday, August 18, 2008 @ 06:29:40 AM

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We agree, try it from the Lake Eleanor side. This is one of our favorite hikes for beautiful views and taking spectacular photos of the mountain. It is also one of our favorites hikes for taking a nap in the sun at the top. We always bring a big blanket and soak up the atmosphere with a good old fashioned snooze. A beautiful place.

Try it from the other end

Reviewed By: Ed Winskill on Thursday, September 20, 2007 @ 03:07:09 PM

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Park at the trailhead on FR 73. Within a hundred yards or so you reach the MRNP boundary, in a mile you're at Lake Eleanor, and in 3 miles at Grand Park. You can continue across GP then down to Berkeley Park. The round trip this way isn't a lot shorter than from Sunrise, but it's better, because you do without six miles or so of uphill on the "homeward" leg. The Grand Park hike from Sunrise is great, but it's backwards-- downhill in mostly, uphill out!

If your sole destination is Grand Park, not including Berkeley Park, do the FR 73 route; it's around 6 miles roundtrip, rather than 14 the Sunrise way. Better for dayhke purposes....

Great First Hike!

Reviewed By: baddfish86 on Tuesday, July 31, 2007 @ 12:59:16 PM

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I just moved out to Washington and have never hiked before. I was lucky to get a tent and shoes for my graduation gift and decided to try them out! I found out about this hike on this website and figured it would be a good one to start out on, i couldn'tve been more correct. I gave it 3 hikers because the hike down is fairly easy but the way up can do a number on your legs (I'm feeling it now). I hiked yesterday (Monday afternoon) and there was little to no one on the trail for the majority of the day. Once you get down in the valley there were plenty of places to fill the waterbottle (I have purification tablets), which was a great plus! If you are really up for a hike I took the long way and went down Sunrise, over Sunrise Rim, then backtracked  down Burrough's Mtn Trail, Took Wonderland over to Berkeley and took wonderland all the way back. Prepare to walk over snow, through lots of large black flies and see some AMAZING views. Great sunset also.

Wonderful Views and Wildflowers

Reviewed By: foxjl on Tuesday, July 26, 2005 @ 05:10:50 PM

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Review: I did this hike a couple of weeks ago, and it was great! This hike has a little of everything- views, streams, an alpine lake, wildflowers, and forest. The bugs were pretty bad around Berkely Park, but even that didn't detract from my enjoyment. I started out from Sunrise in the morning, climbing up past frozen lake before descending towards Berkely Park into a beautiful valley filled with wildflowers and views of Mt Baker in the distance. I didn't see the Marmots mentioned in the Trip report (maybe they were sleeping in), but I swear I could hear munching on occasion. The area around Berkely Park is nice and forested, and provides some relief on a warm day. This is especially nice for the trip out, since it is a slow steady climb back to Sunrise on the return. I would have stopped longer at Berkely park, but I was afraid of getting carried away by the bugs. They were pretty aggressive. Grand Park was amazing. There were great views of Rainier and plenty of wildflowers. Grand Park was a little more crowded than you would think, since there is a shorter approach off of Forest Service Road 73 just outside the park boundary. I haven't gone that way, but it is certainly shorter than the approach from Sunrise. That being said, I don't regret taking the longer way one bit, the scenery and solitude were well worth it (though my feet might disagree). This is a long hike, but there isn't a lot of elevation gain or steep sections of the trail. Fortunately, there is plenty of water available along the way if you have a water filter. I went through quite a bit on this trip. Make sure your camera has lots of film/room on the memory stick. You will need it.