Eagle Peak Trail
Length, Round Trip: 7.2 Miles
Elevation Gain,One-Way: 2,955 Feet
Difficulty: Moderate
Beginning Elevation: 2,820 Feet
Ending Elevation: 5,700 Feet
Directions
From Longmire Plaza, Drive past the building with the flagpole, through the employee housing area and across a suspension bridge. Continue .1 miles and park in front of the Community Building. Walk a short distance back the road toward the bridge. The trailhead is on the right about 50 feet before reaching the bridge. As an alternative, park near the Longmire Museum or National Park Inn and walk to the trailhead. It is located 50 feet beyond the bridge on the left.
Location Information
This trail begins east of Longmire on the western end of the Tatoosh Mountains. It leads three and a half miles eastward, climbing almost 3,000 feet in the process. The trail ends on the saddle between Eagle and Chutla Peaks. The peaks are accessible with a lot of exposure, so individuals without mountain climbing experience should not attempt to summit Eagle and Chutla Peaks.
The hike begins by leading eastward and crossing a small stream in the first few minutes of the route. It climbs steeply through thick forest, using switchbacks for the first two miles of the tread. Two miles from the trailhead this route crosses a tributary to the Nisqually River on a wooden bridge and continues to ascend via long switchbacks.
One mile from the stream crossing the forest recedes and the trail leads through an open, subalpine meadow. At this point you're almost three and a half miles from the trailhead. Views of the Tatoosh Range peaks lie to the east of this high meadow, which is usually in full bloom by mid July.
Beyond the meadow the trail covers some rocky terrain as it ascends 360 feet in one half mile to the saddle. The saddle between Eagle and Chutla Peak lies at 5,700 feet. The maintained trail ends at this point, where views of Mt. Rainier, the Tatoosh Range, Snoqualmie National Forest , Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Adams abound. |
