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For an extravagant look at the glacier-covered west side of Mount Rainier, hike to the top of 5,450-foot Glacier View in the northwest corner of this Wilderness, which, coincidentally, shares a portion of the western boundary of Mount Rainier National Park. The annual snowfall can exceed 25 feet, and the snowmelt here tumbles down eventually into the South Puyallup River, filling nine small alpine lakes in a rich meadowed basin hidden by long ridges on both sides. Some of these lakes dry up in summer. You'll find cold water in Goat Lake, Lake West, and Lake Christine year-round. The forest cover is heavy with fir, pine, hemlock, and cedar, and thick with an understory of ferns, mosses, beadlily, trillium, and other sweet wildflowers. Elk and mountain goats graze the basin in the summer. The 1.8-mile Lake Christine Trail enters near the southern end of the area and passes Lake Christine to hook up with the Puyallup Trail, which goes 2.5 miles north and east to Goat Lake and then into the park or west to join the 2.9-mile Glacier View Trail. A side trail off the Lake Christine Trail allows you to climb 5,475-foot Mount Beljica for another breathtaking view. The Glacier View Trail continues north, with side trails to Glacier View itself and Lake West, and proceeds to Lake Helen, which is outside the Wilderness boundary.
Maps
Digital and paper maps are critical tools for wilderness visitors. Online maps can help you plan and prepare for your visit ahead of time. You can also carry digital maps with you on your GPS unit or other handheld GPS device. Having a paper map with you in the backcountry, as well as solid orienteering skills, however, ensures that you can still route-find in the event that your electronic device fails.
Online Maps
Printed Maps
Management & Regulations
Motorized equipment and equipment used for mechanical transport is generally prohibited in all wilderness areas.
This includes the use of motor vehicles, motorboats, motorized equipment, bicycles, hang gliders, wagons, carts, portage wheels, and the landing of aircraft including helicopters.
Wilderness-Specific Regulations
Learn more about
why regulations may be necessary in wilderness.
Applicable Wilderness Law(s)
Date: July 3, 1984
Acreage: 3,050 acres
Washington State Wilderness Act of 1984 - Public law 98-339 (7/3/1984) To designate certain National Forest System lands in the State of Washington for inclusion in the National Wilderness Preservation System, and for other purposes.
For more information (To download or see all affected Wilderness areas) visit our law library for 98-339 or special provisions for 98-339 or legislative history for 98-339 for this law.
Want to Volunteer for Wilderness?
Citizens who volunteer their time to steward our wilderness areas are an essential part of wilderness management. Contact the following groups to inquire about volunteer opportunities.