Parking
Use the corner viewpoint parking area at the hairpin on Sunrise Road. Cross the road by the kiosk to begin; this is separate from the main Sunrise Visitor Center lot.
Overview
About Sunrise Lake Trail
Why go
- A quick route to a high-country lake without the full Palisades hike.
Heads up
- The short downhill start turns into a steep climb back.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Mount Rainier map
Full mapElevation5,728–6,129 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
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 Sunrise Lake 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 Sunrise Lake Trail
The short lake optionSunrise Lake Trail is a 1.
Sunrise Lake Trail is a 1.5-mile round trip from the hairpin viewpoint parking area at Sunrise Point. It follows the opening, steep section of the Palisades Lakes Trail to a signed spur and Sunrise Lake, then includes an informal footpath around much of the shore before returning the same way. It is a good low-commitment lake outing, but you climb the descent back to the car.
Down to the lakeCross Sunrise Road by the kiosk and follow the wide, soft trail downhill.
Cross Sunrise Road by the kiosk and follow the wide, soft trail downhill. A short talus stretch comes before the lake junction. The lake sits in a broad high-country valley below Dege Peak; the rough lakeside tread gives you a closer look at the water and its wooded shore. This short branch reaches Sunrise Lake, the first lake on the longer Palisades route.
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.
