Parking
Use the small parking area at Dry Creek, at the end of the vehicle-access section of Westside Road. Park south of the barricade and keep traffic clear.
Overview
About Lake George Trail
Why go
- The lake and patrol cabin give the long approach a clear destination.
- Biking the road to Round Pass can cut out most of the road walk.
Heads up
- Most of the distance is on gravel road, not trail.
- The approach crosses an active rockfall hazard zone.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Mount Rainier map
Full mapElevation2,933–4,413 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
Safety
7 active Mount Rainier alerts
- 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
- 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
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Mount Rainier Tour Guide
Your drive to Lake George 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
Dry Creek: The Long Approach to Gobblers Knob0:00 / 0:31
“You're nearing Dry Creek, where vehicle access on Westside Road ends and the long approach to Gobblers Knob begins.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Mount Rainier Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- When Cars Were an Experiment
- Ski Troops at Paradise
- Trees Above a Vanished Log
- Nisqually Entrance: The Cedar-Log Gateway
- 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 Lake George Trail
What you’re signing up forLake George Trail is a 9.2-mile out-and-back from the Dry Creek parking area, including 3.
Lake George Trail is a 9.2-mile out-and-back from the Dry Creek parking area, including 3.8 miles of Westside Road each way and the easy 0.8-mile forest trail from Round Pass to the lake. Allow about five hours. Most of the distance is road walking; the lake and its historic patrol cabin are the payoff. If you have a bike, ride the road to Round Pass and use the rack there. Bikes aren’t allowed on the trail.
The approachFrom Dry Creek, the gravel road climbs through forest to Round Pass. It’s 3.
From Dry Creek, the gravel road climbs through forest to Round Pass. It’s 3.8 miles before you reach the trailhead. Part of the road is an active rockfall hazard zone, so keep moving and don’t linger there. At the pass, leave your bike at the rack and take the gradual forest path to the lake.
Lake George and the cabinThe lake sits on the northwest shoulder of Mount Wow; the park says the mountain’s name means…
The lake sits on the northwest shoulder of Mount Wow; the park says the mountain’s name means “goat.” The historic Lake George Patrol Cabin stands beside the water. There’s a backcountry campsite and restroom at the lake, though the tent sites sit back from the shore. The lake is the photo stop: look for the floating logs in the clear nearshore water with the forested slopes behind. The historic cabin is a second subject nearby.
A stop at Round PassThe Marine Memorial at Round Pass remembers 32 Marines who died when their plane crashed into…
The Marine Memorial at Round Pass remembers 32 Marines who died when their plane crashed into South Tahoma Glacier on December 10, 1946. It’s an easy detail to miss while heading straight for the lake.
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.
