Why we came…
To snowshoe in one of our favorite national parks, and to catch up with a few friends.
The campground…
Alder Lake Park is 40 miles south of Tacoma, Washington. The last 3 miles of the drive are on a narrow section of Highway 7 with a lot of twists and turns.
Alder Lake was formed by Alder Dam in 1945. The park is a Tacoma Public Utilities facility. “The park is available to the public for camping, boating, swimming, water skiing, fishing and day use.”
There are 35 sites with water, electric and sewer hookups, 74 with water and electric hookups, 62 tent sites and a 35-site group camp with water, electric and sewer hookups.
The full hookup area was a combination of half-moon pull throughs and back-in sites. They were all paved but size and levelness varied. Only a couple of the sites would fit larger rigs.
Satellite would be difficult in many sites due to large trees. I got a signal by moving ours off the roof. The Verizon signal was spotty, weak, and unreliable. Each campsite had a fire ring, picnic table, and plenty of space.
When we were there, it was peaceful! We heard very little road noise! Only the full hookup loop was open and it was only half full on the weekend. During the week, there were only two or three others. We were told the place is busy during summer.
“You can reserve a campsite up to nine months in advance for dates between May 15 and Sept. 15. Individual sites are available on a first-come, first-served basis the rest of the year except for Dec. 20 through Jan. 1 when the park is closed."
There are nice walking trails throughout the park. It is easy to do a 3 mile loop that includes a great view of the dam! The free Sunny Beach day use area includes a swim area (lake level permitting), picnic shelter, 20 picnic sites with tables and grills, and restrooms.
Arleen spotted one large pile of fresh bear scat. Though, she never saw the critter that deposited it. Deer wandered through several times a day.
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| We had full hook-ups and plenty of space |
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| Deer often wandered through the campsites |
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| The 330 foot high dam was built in 1944 to provide power |
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Alder Lake is pretty big, 7.5 miles long and a half mile wide,
but fluctuates wildly based on power and agriculture needs
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Tiny Elbe, population 29 and elevation 1,214ft, is the closest, just six miles to the southeast. It doesn’t have much but there are a couple of choices for places to eat and a gas station.
Eatonville is a little bigger, population 2,758 and elevation 801ft, and is eight miles to the north. It has more restaurants, a small grocery store, a few services, and a laundromat. When we lived nearby, we always enjoyed driving through and often stopped for a meal.
Adventures…
Mount Rainier…
We considered Mount Rainier National Park our backyard when we lived Graham, Washington. When we started on our full-time adventure eight years ago, it was the second National Park that we visited: http://mud-on-the-tires.blogspot.com/2011/09/wa-home-24-july9-sep-2011.html
“Ascending to 14,410 feet above sea level, Mount Rainier stands as an icon in the Washington landscape. An active volcano, Mount Rainier is the most glaciated peak in the contiguous U.S.A., spawning five major rivers. Subalpine wildflower meadows ring the icy volcano while ancient forest cloaks Mount Rainier’s lower slopes. Wildlife abounds in the park’s ecosystems. A lifetime of discovery awaits.”
Our favorite region is the Paradise area. “Paradise is famous for its glorious views and wildflower meadows. The park's main visitor center, the new Paradise Jackson Visitor Center, is located in the upper parking area. Paradise is also the prime winter-use area in the park, receiving on average 643 inches (53.6 feet) of snow a year.”
The day we visited the snow depth was 120 inches or 10 feet of snow. The temperature was in the mid 30s with light winds in the parking area, but just a few hundred feet above the visitor center they were out of the east and gusted to about 25mph.
The parking lot was fairly empty when we set out at 10 o’clock but by the time we returned it was 50% full and there were quite a few families in the tubing/sledding area. We saw just an occasional other group of hikers, snowshoers and skiers/boarders up on the slopes. “Winter activities include snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and tubing.”
We had watched the forecast carefully for a couple of weeks. Thursday looked to be the day with the least amount of rain, and although clouds were forecast, it looked like our best opportunity to see the incredible mountain.
We were pleasantly surprised as we slowly drove up the winding road that we could see bottom parts of the huge volcano. As we strapped on our snowshoes, the clouds parted and we could see the peak itself!
We made our way to a ridge next to the Pebble Creek gully. We climbed about a mile and 700 feet. We took a break to have a snack and pose for pics.
We had epic views south to the jagged Tatoosh Range that top out at 6,971 feet. As we sat there in the quiet we could hear nearly constant rumbling of active erosion across the large glacially carved Nisqually drainage. It was likely both rockslides and snow/ice avalanches caused by the warming sun.
After just a half hour we noticed mid-level clouds starting to wrap their way around the summit. He was slowly swallowed up. Our timing was perfect! It was probably the only time in a two week period that the mountain was visible.
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| Snowshoe route at Paradise, Mount Rainier NP |
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| There was just 10 feet of snow which is 90% of average. |
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| Arleen climbing towards Mount Rainier |
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| Arleen backdropped by the Tatoosh Range |
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| Being goofy |
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| Perfect timing for our selfie before clouds moved in |
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| We are always entranced by the glaciers |
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| A perfect spot for a break |
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| Getting air in the shadow of one of North Americas greatest mountains |
Our friends Rob and Lisa tried to visit us in Sequim and were thwarted by the snow in February. When they heard we were going to be at Alder Lake, they drove to Eatonville to meet us and have dinner at the fun Cruiser Cafe.
My last military tour was with the 1st Weather Squadron at Fort Lewis. I worked with Rob almost three of my last four years. Since retirement, he has gone on to a totally different career as a locomotive engineer. We had a great time catching up with him and his wife Lisa.
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| We had fun catching up with Lisa and Rob in Eatonville (this pic was taken Nov 2017) |
We had a great time catching up on each other’s lives and adventures we’ve had since we last saw each other eight years ago.
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| We met Brian and Jason for dinner at the Flying Tomato in Graham and told war stories, and got caught up on each other’s lives. |
We spent 5 days in Wenatchee. Our next stops are Dry Falls Lake WA, Spokane WA, and Curlew State Park WA. Then we’ll spend about three weeks in southern BC.
Parting shots…
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| That’s a lot of poop! |
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| Steady rain and 40 degrees on move day…yuck! |
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Sounds like it was so peaceful and quiet! Good thing Arlene didn't step in that scat, it was bigger than her shoe! Love the stories and pictures thank you!
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