The Four Corners – Part Two – Shriner Peak
Fire Lookout Review
Welcome back to our “Four Corners” highlight of Fire Lookouts in the Park! Our last post told the history of these stoic guardians and why their use was so vital for conservation efforts. We also discussed the CCC, or Civilian Conservation Corps, which was the initiative put in place by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to increase domestic jobs for hard-working young men as the country suffered through the Great Depression.
Last week’s “corner” was Gobblers Knob Fire Lookout, which sits inside the southwest Nisqually Entrance approach from Ashford. My next trip up into Mt. Rainier took me to the southeast quadrant of the Park, driving up to Paradise and beyond through Stevens Canyon, turning north once reaching the Ohanapecosh entrance. My destination for the day, and our 2nd of the Four Corners, is Shriner Peak – which is probably the meanest of them all.
Shriner Peak
And for good reason. Directly pulling from the Washington Trail Association’s description of the hike: “The under-appreciated Shriner Peak is one of the loneliest trails at Mount Rainier. It’s long, steep, and exposed, making it nearly intolerable in the stale summer heat.” Well, if there’s one way to convince folks to go on a hike, I’m not sure that’s the best approach! However, it is very realistic, and there is much greater detail on the site recommending what to bring (WATER) and how best to approach this well-worth-the-destination strenuous hike.
Once you breach through the lower-elevation forested portion of the hike, you’re met with your first view of Rainier at 2.5 miles. As you continue upward you begin to see Mt. Adams to the south, and a peek of Mt. St. Helens also. After you reach your final destination atop the 5,834 foot Shriner Peak, you’re met with a well-constructed Fire Lookout that remains fully-equipped to spot fires and lightning strikes for miles in every direction.
If you want to turn your trip into an overnighter there are 2 back-country campsites near the peak that you can receive a permit for at one of the Wilderness Information Centers for the Park.
Shriner Peak saw some good action back in the day, namely a fire that claimed 630 acres of forest in July of 1934, a mere 2 years after the lookout was built. Looking through the windows of Shriner Peak Lookout you can see an Osborne “Fire-Finder,” a table-top tool used to pinpoint a fire’s location based on the smoke rising from the forest. Also you’ll see a bed, small stove-top, binoculars, a fire lookout guide for Park Service employees, and many other useful tools and accessories that date back nearly 100 years.
While this lookout may rest in a fairly unvisited and unpopular corner of the National Park’s wilderness, it simultaneously serves as a refuge from the hustle and bustle of the crowds that are found in the main visitor areas. If you want to escape for a day, or even an evening, this isolated trail is one of the few havens of solitude that you are sure to find peace, quiet, and an area all to yourself to be a part of the surrounding nature and beauty that defines Mt. Rainier National Park.
