Mount Fremont Fire Lookout Sunrise Hike

Hike Stats

Trail: Sourdough Ridge Trail to Mount Fremont

Distance: 5.7 miles RT out-and-back or can loop back via the Wonderland Trail and Shadow Lake for an additional half mile or so. 

Elevation Gain: 1110 ft

Location: Mount Rainier National Park, Washington

Date Hiked: October 2023

Getting Here

The trailhead is located in the Sunrise section of the park. To get here you’ll want to enter via the White River Entrance which is located on the east side of the park off of Hwy 410. The trailhead is at the end of the road by the Sunrise Visitor Center. 

The Hike

To start off my month-long road trip to follow America’s fall foliage, I traveled to Washington State to meet up with one of my best friends from college, Steph, along with one of her friends from childhood, Kaity. We primarily stayed in Mount Rainier National Park and decided to do a sunrise hike to the Mount Fremont Lookout to try to get a head start on the crowds expected for what was likely the last nice weather weekend of the year. Unfortunately as we arrived at the parking lot, we discovered that at least 50 other people had the same idea! But we supposed that was to be expected given that the road was scheduled to close the following week for the winter. Thankfully the parking lot is massive so there were no issues getting parking so early. 

We started off about 2 hours before sunrise and quickly made our way up the initial incline on the Sourdough Ridge Trail, turning left at the first fork. This initial climb was fairly steep as it climbed the ridge and our calves were definitely feeling the burn. But the sight of the massive Mount Rainier illuminated by the light reflecting off the Moon plus the myriad stars twinkling above were definitely a helpful distraction. It’s a trail definitely worth checking out in the daylight as well as Mount Rainier is literally right in your face the whole time.

The Sourdough Ridge Trail eventually leveled out a bit and began a more gentle uphill climb. About 1.5 miles in we passed the scenic Frozen Lake which is very pretty but really is just a glorified pond. 

At the lake we reached a trail junction with the Wonderland Trail and the Burroughs Mountain Trail (also an excellent day hike if you have the time!); we turned right onto the Mount Fremont Trail and the hike resumed its steep uphill climb. After a few switchbacks, we came to a fairly rocky section of the trail that was essentially cut into the side of the ridge. It was easy enough to navigate through but did slow us down some as we attempted to avoid rolling an ankle. The sky had begun to lighten enough at this point that we were able to enjoy the views of the beautiful surrounding mountains and ridges in front of us and Mount Rainier looming behind our backs. 

We crested the summit of Mount Fremont right as the sky began to change colors, from a deep blue to bright orange and fuschia. The way the changing of colors brought out the numerous mountain ridges left us speechless. You would’ve thought we had brought Owen Wilson with us the way we kept saying “Wow!”. 

And don’t even get me started on the way the sun left a pinkish glow on the snow of Mount Rainier. It was absolutely one of those magical moments.

The Mount Fremont Fire Lookout is also really cool in and of itself. As the highest of the park’s four remaining fire lookouts sitting at over 7000 feet of elevation, the views here are some of the best in the park. It was built in 1933 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. While it is no longer used for its original purpose, the lookout can still be enjoyed by visitors. 

We obviously had ourselves a little photoshoot on the lookout tower because we are Millennials and that is what we do.

It was incredible to see how the landscape seemed to morph as the sun rose higher and higher, with new features being highlighted and others fading into the brightness. The warmth brought by the arrival of the sun tempted us into staying longer than anticipated, but when you're in one of the country's best natural spaces, you can't help but want to linger just a bit longer.

After soaking in the views for another hour, we reluctantly began our return trip. Our reluctance quickly vanished though as we were finally able to see all the views that had previously been obscured by the dark.  

When we returned to the three trail junction at Frozen Lake, we decided to take the Wonderland Trail back as I had remembered from previously hiking the Burroughs-Wonderland-Sunrise Rim Loop that there were some nice views of the mountain and Emmons Glacier along this trail and it would only add about a half mile to our total distance. 

We continued down the Wonderland Trail to Sunrise Camp and Shadow Lake. We explored the shores of the lake, having fun spotting and observing the Long-toed Salamanders in the water. But the real highlight was when a Cascade Red Fox popped out from around a bend and trotted along the shore right next to us! It was such a fortuitous moment! 

From the lake we hiked another 0.6 miles along the Wonderland Trail before continuing straight onto the Sunrise Rim Trail. The majority of this section was wooded but it did open up a few times to reveal stunning views of the mountain’s glaciers and glacial tarns. 

At the next trail junction we turned left for a quick jaunt back to the Sunrise Visitor Center parking lot. If you have more left in the tank you could turn right at this junction down the Silver Forest Trail for a quick hike to the Emmons Glacier Overlook but we were beyond satisfied with the views we had just been treated to and were quite tired so we decided to skip it this time. 

If you’re looking for a premiere hike at Mount Rainier National Park, then I would definitely recommend hiking to Mount Fremont Fire Lookout!

Trail Tips

• Go at sunrise or sunset. It’s going to be a busy trail regardless of what time you go, but the parking lot often fills up between 9 am and 3 pm so this will give you a better chance to get parking. These are also the prettiest times to go!

• You WILL take a lot of photos. Just accept it.

• There are quite a few trail junctions so make sure you pay attention to where you’re going and bring either a paper map or a GPS map with you just in case. Thankfully the junctions are well signed.

• This hike is exposed to the sun the whole time so take special care in summer and be sure to bring lots of water and wear sunscreen.  

• There are some pungent bathrooms at the trailhead but if you go late in the season they often run out of toilet paper so have some with you as backup. 

• A not-so-friendly reminder that DRONES ARE ILLEGAL IN THE NATIONAL PARKS. I don’t know why people blatantly break this rule. No one gives a shit about “your shot.” You. Are. Not. Special. Do not break this rule or people (like me) will absolutely tell you off. If you are caught by a ranger, it’s a hefty fine. *steps off soapbox*

---

Save this for future hikes!

Nearby Attractions

Burroughs Mountain Trail

Tipsoo Lake and Naches Peak Loop

Silver Falls

Stevens Canyon Road