Mt. Rainier: Mowich Rivers

Why post this in the Off-Trail section? Because the simple bridges over the North and South Mowich Rivers tend to wash out practically every year. In 2020 the park even diverted hikers to a large log to compensate for the loss of one of the major bridges. During the exceptional low snow year of 2015 I set out to hike the west 57 miles of the Wonderland (Longmire to Sunrise) on June 9. I had 3 areas of concern: the Mowich River crossings, the Winthrop Creek crossing and Skyscraper Pass area. No trail maintenance had been done and all the previous year's bridges over the Mowich rivers were out. I was able to cobble together enough logs to stay feet dry across the entire flood plain. I also show a nighttime crossing in 2020, which utilized the same log I used in 2015.