Parking
Park at Sunrise Point Overlook; the trailhead is at the east end of the parking area.
Overview
About Hidden Lake Spur Trail
Why go
- Hidden Lake sits beneath the Palisades rocks, with morning reflections on calm water.
- Clover Lake and seasonal wildflowers add variety to the ridge walk.
Heads up
- A steep opening descent is followed by a demanding climb back over the ridges.
- The route has no view of Mount Rainier.
Hidden Lake Spur Trail is a 6.1-mile out-and-back from Sunrise Point Overlook, following Palisades Lake Trail to a named side spur and a small alpine lake. The mapped corridor is about 3.05 miles each way; allow around four hours, plus a stop at the shore. It gains and loses ground repeatedly, for roughly 1,500 feet of cumulative climbing over the full trip. The first half-mile drops steeply, and the way back has to regain the same ridges.
Parkwolf’s verdictThe lake is worth a half dayMap & elevation
The route
Loading the Mount Rainier map
Full mapElevation5,552–6,126 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
7 active Mount Rainier alerts
- ClosureWildfire closures in the northern parkGrand Park 2 and Wonderland Complex fire closures affect trails, backcountry camps, and Sunrise access; stay out of closed areas.Official details
- ClosureSR 165 bridge closed: no public access to Carbon River or Mowich LakeThe 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
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Mount Rainier Tour Guide
Your drive to Hidden Lake Spur Trail, 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.
See the Mount Rainier audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Sunrise Point: The Roadside Panorama0:00 / 0:29
“You're approaching Sunrise Point, the overlook at a sharp hairpin in the road.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Mount Rainier Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Bird That Plants Pines
- A Mountain Goat's Grip
- Sunrise Road: Sideways Lava Columns
- Beargrass Has No Seven-Year Clock
- 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
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Hidden Lake Spur Trail
From Sunrise Point to Hidden LakeStart at the east end of the overlook parking area.
Start at the east end of the overlook parking area. After the steep descent, the trail climbs and dips across several ridges. A short spur reaches Sunrise Lake near the beginning; Clover Lake is about 1.5 miles from the start. Continue on Palisades Lake Trail until the Hidden Lake spur branches off. That spur is steep in places and ends at a small lake below the Palisades rocks. Turn around at Hidden Lake; Upper Palisades Lake lies farther along the parent trail and is not part of this distance.
The view is the PalisadesThe Sourdough Mountains block Mount Rainier from this route, so the reward is the string of…
The Sourdough Mountains block Mount Rainier from this route, so the reward is the string of lakes and the Palisades rock formation above them. At Hidden Lake, look for the rocky skyline and Marcus Peak reflected in the water on a calm morning. Lupine and other wildflowers appear along the route in season, with huckleberries later. Watch the talus for pikas and marmots; elk may bugle in early autumn, but wildlife sightings are never guaranteed.
Before you goThe trailhead is at the east end of Sunrise Point Overlook parking.
The trailhead is at the east end of Sunrise Point Overlook parking. Pets are not permitted on park trails. Camping is not allowed at Hidden Lake; overnight camping farther along the Palisades route requires a wilderness permit.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Mount Rainier
466 sightingsMountain GoatMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
383 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
10 sightingsWolverineMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
58 sightingsElkMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
574 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
1,853 sightingsHoary MarmotMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Mount Rainier. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
