Parking
Start at the trailhead across the main park road from the Longmire Museum and National Park Inn. Use Longmire visitor-area parking, then cross to the signed trail entrance.
Overview
About Trail of the Shadows
Why go
- Springs, meadow and Longmire history in a half-hour loop
- Interpretive stops and a marsh-view spur on a short walk
Heads up
- Roots and rocks make some sections rougher than the easy rating suggests
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Mount Rainier map
Full mapElevation2,717–2,763 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 Trail of the Shadows, 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
Longmire: A Museum, Mineral Springs and a Meal0:00 / 0:39
“You're nearing Longmire, the historic village that became park headquarters in eighteen ninety-nine.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Mount Rainier Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Fay Fuller’s Mountain Murmurs
- Why Iron Mike Runs Rusty
- Cougar Rock: A Picnic or a Waterfall Walk
- Twin Firs: A Short Walk Among Old Trees
- 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 Trail of the Shadows
Is this the right walk?Trail of the Shadows is a 0.
Trail of the Shadows is a 0.7-mile interpretive loop around Longmire Meadow, across the main park road from the Longmire Museum and National Park Inn. It is an easy walk of about 30 minutes, best for a short wetland-and-history stop rather than a long mountain hike. At the first junction, bear left for the meadow circuit; going right adds roughly half a mile toward the separate Rampart Ridge route.
The meadow circuitA short side path opens to a marsh viewpoint.
A short side path opens to a marsh viewpoint. The loop then follows the forest edge past the old Longmire Springs Hotel site, Soda Springs, the small Longmire Cabin and Iron Mike before returning around the meadow. Expect unpaved, mostly gentle tread, with roots and rocks on the Rampart Ridge side and short footbridges by the creek. From the meadow opening, frame the wetland and forested ridge with Mount Rainier behind it.
Springs that built a resortIron Mike's water leaves rusty-orange deposits as dissolved iron oxidizes in the air; nearby…
Iron Mike's water leaves rusty-orange deposits as dissolved iron oxidizes in the air; nearby travertine mounds form as spring water deposits calcium carbonate. James Longmire established a springs resort here in 1890, and guests once paid $8 a week to stay and bathe in the mineral water. The cabin is one of the route's stops tied to that resort period. Do not drink from the springs: the water is unsafe.
Wetland life and practical detailsThe wet meadow is habitat for Pacific tree frogs and coastal tailed frogs, though seeing them…
The wet meadow is habitat for Pacific tree frogs and coastal tailed frogs, though seeing them is never guaranteed. A toilet is listed near the trailhead. Pets are not allowed on park trails. Longmire is open year-round, but snow can make this route hazardous in winter.
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.
