Miss Mowich Lake? Mount Rainier ‘vacation’ volunteers get to camp there
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- WTA hosts Sept.24–30 volunteer trip to Mowich Lake and Carbon River areas.
- Bridge closure closed public road; volunteers carpool via designated park vehicle.
- Crew will perform annual trail maintenance and camp at Mowich Lake Campground.
If you are itching to get your Mowich Lake fix, there’s a possibility you can visit this year.
The Washington Trails Association is hosting a volunteer vacation for the public from Sept. 24 to Sept. 30, which will take place along Mowich Lake and the Carbon River in Mount Rainier National Park. Jen Gradisher, trails co-director for WTA, told The News Tribune the trip is full, but people who are interested can get on the waitlist.
“We won’t be opening up any more spots on the specific trip in question, but folks frequently drop off the waitlist which is why we still encourage folks to apply,” Gradisher wrote in an email to The News Tribune on April 10.
Mowich Lake became inaccessible by car when the state Route 165 Carbon River Fairfax Bridge permanently closed on April 22, 2025. The bridge closure also shut off easy access to other beloved areas such as Tolmie Peak and Spray Park. Now, the only way to visit those areas requires hiking many miles on foot during likely overnight trips from another area of the park.
Gradisher said this rare opportunity to visit the Mowich area stems from the need to do annual maintenance. She said park staff directed them to host a work event in this area.
“It’s up to the park where we work, they contract us out annually, it’s a cooperative agreement that we hold, where we do trail work annually in the park with them. As part of that agreement, they determine where the priorities are for our work and time spent with them, and so that is how we end up in places like this,” Gradisher said. “What I can say is that, largely, prior to even the bridge closure, a lot of the priorities for the park have been focusing on different maintenance on the west side. That is a continued priority even with this closure, is to make sure that deferred maintenance is able to be addressed.”
Gradisher said volunteers will meet in Wilkeson at 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 24, and the group will carpool along the alternate route in a designated park vehicle. The alternate route is only open to law enforcement, park staff and property owners who live on the other side of the bridge.
Volunteer vacations cost $300 for WTA members, the website says, and $350 for non-members.
WTA will send out more details about where to meet in Wilkeson closer to the trip, the website says.
According to WTA’s website, the organization will release more details about the work volunteers will be doing closer to the trip, but the crew can expect to “complete general annual maintenance including removing overgrown vegetation, cutting out fallen logs, and repairing the tread.”
Volunteers may work on several trails, the website said, including the Wonderland Trail, Spray Park and Tolmie Peak Trail. They will camp at the Mowich Lake Campground.
“For safety reasons, arriving late or leaving early is not allowed,” the website said.
Volunteers should prepare for all kinds of weather, the website said, and pack the following items:
- Sturdy, close-toed shoes
- Eye protection like glasses, sunglasses, or safety glasses
- Long pants
- Work gloves
- Tent, sleeping bag and sleeping pad
- Two 1-liter water bottles and a coffee mug
- Extra warm clothing
- Sun and bug protection
- Head lamp and extra batteries
- A first aid kit
- “Personal items such as medication, hand sanitizer and toiletries.”
Gradisher said this is one of a series of work parties WTA will be hosting this summer. To learn more about this work vacation or other opportunities, visit www.wta.org/volunteer.
