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Klapatche Point in Mount Rainier National Park

Sight · Mount Rainier National Park

Klapatche Point

Long road walk or bike ride to a remote west-side viewpoint.

Photo: National Park Service
Type
Sight
Nearest trail
Right here
  • Trailhead
  • Scenic viewpoint
DirectionsMap
Parkwolf audio tour77 stories across Mount Rainier’s roads

Overview

About Klapatche Point

Why stop

  • Open views toward Round Pass and the South Puyallup Valley.
  • A starting point for the North Puyallup Trail.

Heads up

  • The 9.2-mile road approach from Dry Creek is one way.
Klapatche Point is the named scenic terminus of Westside Road on Mount Rainier’s west side, and the start of the North Puyallup Trail. The road beyond Dry Creek is closed to public vehicles, so reaching the point means a 9.2-mile approach each way on foot or by bike. Make this a planned outing, not a quick scenic detour; it suits a long road walk or ride, or a hike that continues into the backcountry.
Parkwolf’s verdictWorth the approach?

Map

Where it is

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SightKlapatche Point46.84816, -121.91899
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Plan your stop

Before you go

7 active Mount Rainier alerts

  • ClosureSR 165 bridge closed: no public access to Carbon River or Mowich LakeMentions Mowich Lake, referenced in this guideThe SR 165 Carbon River/Fairfax Bridge is closed to vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians; there is no public access or alternate route to Carbon River or Mowich Lake.Official details
  • CautionWestside Road rockfall hazard and vehicle restrictionMentions Westside Road, referenced in this guideWestside Road is open but lies in an active geohazard zone with rockfall danger; vehicles must park south of the Dry Creek barricade.Official details
See all 7 alerts
A park ranger sits on a dash-mounted phone, talking, as Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays “Army Cutworm Moths: A Grizzly Bear Buffet” on Grand Loop Road below Dunraven Pass in Yellowstone
Parkwolf Tour GuideThe highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.

Mount Rainier Tour Guide

Your drive to Klapatche Point, narrated.

Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Mount Rainier National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.

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More stories near here in the app

  • Dry Creek: The Long Approach to Gobblers Knob
  • When Cars Were an Experiment
  • 77 audio storiesacross Mount Rainier’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
  • Wildlife heatmapsfor Mountain Goat, Black Bear, Wolverine, and 13 more
  • Works offlinemaps, 99 trails, 87 places, and audio download before you lose signal
  • CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
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Guide

More about Klapatche Point

Look south, then westAt the point, look south toward Round Pass and across the South Puyallup River Valley, then…

At the point, look south toward Round Pass and across the South Puyallup River Valley, then west over the rolling hills. That open valley view is the payoff after the long approach. For a photo, frame the forested valley with the layered ridges beyond it.

Continue on the North Puyallup TrailThe trail heads east along Klapatche Ridge through forest. Its first 2.

The trail heads east along Klapatche Ridge through forest. Its first 2.7 miles gain only about 360 feet before reaching North Puyallup River Camp and connecting with the Wonderland Trail. A bike rack sits beside the trailhead, but bikes stay on Westside Road; they aren’t allowed on the connecting trails.

Why the road stops hereWestside Road was meant to continue to Mowich Lake.

Westside Road was meant to continue to Mowich Lake. Crews reached Klapatche Point in the 1930s, but that extension was abandoned. A large debris flow in the late 1980s damaged the road near Tahoma Creek; the park has kept public vehicle access at Dry Creek ever since.

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Wildlife

Wildlife in Mount Rainier

All Mount Rainier wildlife maps
Mountain Goat466 sightingsMountain GoatMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapBlack Bear383 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapWolverine10 sightingsWolverineMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapElk58 sightingsElkMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapMule Deer574 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapHoary Marmot1,853 sightingsHoary MarmotMost seen around 6 AMSighting map

Sighting maps show where each species has been reported across Mount Rainier. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.

Keep exploring

Near Klapatche Point

See it all on the map

Trails nearby

ModerateNorth Puyallup River Trail5.4 mi · 3 hr · At the trailheadFollow a mossy old roadbed to a remote river camp.ModerateSouth Puyallup Trail3.2 mi · 2.5 hr · 3.2 mi awayFind columnar lava where this forest trail meets the WonderlandModerateGobblers Knob via Puyallup Trail7.2 mi · 4.5 hr · 3.8 mi awayA western approach to a historic lookout above Goat Lake.

More stops nearby

Sight · 1 mi awayDenman FallsA forest-wrapped, 140-foot plunge on St. Andrews Creek.Historic marker · 3.3 mi awayMarine MemorialA sobering memorial to 32 Marines, 3.8 miles from Dry Creek.Sight · 3.7 mi awayGobblers Knob Fire LookoutA 1933 lookout above Lake George, reached by a long, steep hike.

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