Another well-traveled trail checks that box a short distance away. There are no waterfalls on this trail, though, a main feature of the park in spring and summer. Peering through the cracks of the root ball reveals new life growing in its place. Their roots project through boulders and twist around rock.Ī quarter-mile up Kautz Creek, a fallen tree forms a 15-foot wall with its gray dusty roots.

Trees grow in spiraling formation due to the pressure from annual snowpack. Even a short nature walk can reveal the intrigue and oddities of the forest. Hiking Kautz Creek will take over 7 hours and is considered challenging, according to AllTrails, a popular online outdoors recreation guide. 'Indian Henry' was a guide for James Longmire in his expedition of the area and his cabin serves as one of several historical landmarks in the area. Kautz Creek is a 12-mile out-and-back trail to Mirror Lakes and passes Indian Henry's Patrol Cabin - a one-story structure built in the early 1900s and used by the Cowlitz and Nisqually tribes. He mocked those who wandered over for a glimpse of the mountain, only to be met with cloudy skies. On this day, a nearby Stellar's jay knows better. It's a short walk to a scenic viewpoint of the peak. That's where the road ends early in the year and towering walls of snow remain for snowshoe hikers at the Vista Trailhead.Īlong the ascent, visitors can find several trails fit for hiking boots.įirst stop on Paradise Road is Kautz Creek and the accompanying trailhead. The drive on Paradise Road to the Henry Jackson Visitor Center takes 40 minutes.

With little wait, drivers passed through the entrance on a quiet, cloud-covered Sunday with mild temperatures. The southwestern Nisqually entrance and nearby town of Ashford, Washington, will be bustling when the mountain's wildflowers bloom in late July to early August.

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