Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 14

Thread: Carbon River area, Mt. Rainier NP status

  1. #1
    chassis's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Posts
    1,974

    Carbon River area, Mt. Rainier NP status

    Hello,

    Wondering if anyone familiar with this area know what the road conditions and access are like for the Carbon River area of Mt. Rainier National Park? I want to walk around the rainforest trails if they are open and make some exposures there. Thanks.

    The NPS website says the road is open up to the ranger station. What kind of hiking/photo ops are in the area near the ranger station?

  2. #2

    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Posts
    680

    Re: Carbon River area, Mt. Rainier NP status

    Its been years since I've been there but past the ranger station was a dirt road, not for driving, that leads to the glacier. It's a couple of miles but slightly up hill going. I have it on my list for a visit too.

  3. #3

    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Seattle area, WA
    Posts
    1,328

    Re: Carbon River area, Mt. Rainier NP status

    The Carbon River Road was washed out several years ago and closed for driving as you probably read on the NPS website. However, it is open year-round to hiking and biking. There are quite a few good photo ops along the road. My favorite would be Ranger Falls, which is about halfway up the Green Lake trail. If you want just River/Forest scenes there is plently of places for that along the road as well. If you possibly can rent/borrow/steal a mountain bike that will really make your wonderings around the Carbon River road more efficient. It's 9.6 miles round trip to the Green Lake trail, for instance. If you biked the road though you only have to walk the 4 miles of the actual trail, the road would be very fast.

  4. #4

    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    Gig Harbor, WA
    Posts
    451

    Re: Carbon River area, Mt. Rainier NP status

    The Carbon River Road is closed at the NPS boundary where there is parking, the ranger station and a short nature trail. All the rest of the trails venture off the Carbon River trail along the river past the ranger station. You can find information on trails, waterfalls, etc. at the Mt. Rainier NP photo guide. I haven't updated the news Web pages from August (health issues) but expect to have them on-line by next week.

    Depending on the weather, expect rain and cool, and lots of rainforest scenes. Views of Mt Rainier are more on the Mowich Lake Road, which is also closed to vehicles for the season at the NP boundary, currently with some snow (~3,000 ft), but open to hiking to the lake and campground with some trails off to peaks.
    --Scott--

    Scott M. Knowles, MS-Geography
    scott@wsrphoto.com

    "All things merge into one, and a river flows through it."
    - Norman MacLean

  5. #5
    chassis's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Posts
    1,974

    Re: Carbon River area, Mt. Rainier NP status

    Thanks all. I visited the ranger station on Carbon River Road. Interesting spot. I hiked the road maybe 2 miles past the ranger station, and was amazed at the forest. This is my usual reaction when I see the Pacific northwest forests. The size of the trees, and the ferns and mosses are truly unique in North America, maybe the world. Where else do temperate rain forests exist? There was no snow, no rain and the temp was in the mid-30s F.

    I made two exposures, which will be memorable for me, but not sure they will be my masterpieces. The light was failing around 3:30 p.m., and I had yet to be inspired with "the shot". So I set up the camera, exposed two sheets of film, and headed back to the car. The exposures were 20 and 40 seconds at f/22 with a 65mm Super Angulon. Hopefully I collected some photons on TXP.

    I recommend this area to anyone. The photo opportunities are mainly forest, streams, small waterfalls, and the larger, very rocky, Carbon River.

  6. #6
    Vaughn's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Humboldt County, CA
    Posts
    9,211

    Re: Carbon River area, Mt. Rainier NP status

    Quote Originally Posted by chassis View Post
    Where else do temperate rain forests exist?
    The redwoods of Northern CA. Also Olympic National Park, WA. Great rain temperate rainforests in New Zealand, also!

    Vaughn

    PS...good luck with your exposures!

  7. #7

    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Posts
    680

    Re: Carbon River area, Mt. Rainier NP status

    Did you cross the foot bridge to the mouth of the carbon glacier?

  8. #8

    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Seattle area, WA
    Posts
    1,328

    Re: Carbon River area, Mt. Rainier NP status

    Quote Originally Posted by Curt View Post
    Did you cross the foot bridge to the mouth of the carbon glacier?
    Are you talking about the big suspension bridge where you can get a nice (or possibly scary) view of the Carbon river? On the newly repaired trail you don't actually cross that anymore. You cross the river about 1 mile past the campground. I believe you can still cross the suspension bridge to continue on the Wonderland trail the other direction, but I heard they remove the bridge planks in Winter.

  9. #9
    chassis's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Posts
    1,974

    Re: Carbon River area, Mt. Rainier NP status

    Curt, I only made it about 1-1.5 miles past the ranger station, so
    didn't cross the river. The trail I was on seemed perfectly navigable
    by vehicles; imho the NPS is being a bit restrictive in choosing where vehicle
    traffic is prohibited.

  10. #10

    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Seattle area, WA
    Posts
    1,328

    Re: Carbon River area, Mt. Rainier NP status

    Quote Originally Posted by chassis View Post
    Curt, I only made it about 1-1.5 miles past the ranger station, so
    didn't cross the river. The trail I was on seemed perfectly navigable
    by vehicles; imho the NPS is being a bit restrictive in choosing where vehicle
    traffic is prohibited.
    The first 1.5 miles are fine. About the 2 mile mark you hit a very bad washout that no car could navigate. Then there are about two or three other areas in similar shape before the campground. They could have opened the road another 1.5 miles to vehicles (that was an option) but NPS opted to turn the road into a maintained bike/hike trail, after several studies and community meetings/feedback were complete.

Similar Threads

  1. Replies: 9
    Last Post: 9-Jan-2011, 18:16
  2. Carbon printing workshop -- SF Bay Area, late July
    By Vaughn in forum Announcements
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 10-Jun-2007, 22:24
  3. Carbon Infinity: Follow-up and BRIEF review
    By Natha Congdon in forum Cameras & Camera Accessories
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 24-Apr-2006, 03:08
  4. Green River, Dinosaur National Monument area
    By Henry Ambrose in forum Location & Travel
    Replies: 8
    Last Post: 31-May-2005, 19:31
  5. Anybody else getting heartburn with the new 'Carbon Print' ?
    By clay harmon in forum On Photography
    Replies: 115
    Last Post: 6-Nov-2003, 22:52

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •