Mystic Lake (Overnight) - July 4th weekend

Join me for a backpacking adventure to Mystic Lake Campground on the north side of Mt. Rainier! I have 8 permits for one night.

This is a group trip, not a guided tour. You’re responsible for your own safety, preparedness, and honest self-assessment of fitness.

Plan A:
If the Sunrise Road is open, we’ll hike from Sunrise to Mystic Lake and back—9 miles each way with 1,900 ft elevation gain to the lake and 2,800 ft on the return.

Plan B:
If the road’s closed, we’ll start near White River Entrance, adding 9 miles and 3,000 ft of gain.

Mystic Lake coordinates: 46.9139, -121.6423
Map: Caltopo, WTA
Weather: NWS
Check out videos of the campground: WillisWall

What to bring:

• 10 Essentials - Ten Essentials (U.S. National Park Service)
• stove, fuel, pots, and utensils
• mix of dehydrated food and no-cook items
• bear canister or hanging bear bag
• bear spray
• micro spikes
• gators
• hiking poles
• change of clothes
• hygiene products (bug spray, sunscreen, toothpaste, toilet paper, plastic bags to carry waste out, etc.)
• plastic bags to put hiking boots in after the trip

Drivers need an America the Beautiful or a Standard Park Pass.

Costs:
Carpool costs are round-trip miles × 0.60, split evenly (including the driver), plus shared parking fees. The distance from Eastgate to Sunrise is 87 miles one-way. For four people in a car, that's about 26, not including parking.

I have paid 6 for the lottery and 12 per permit, so each person needs to reimburse me $12.75 within 48 hours after confirmation (moved to the "going" list) or forfeit their spot.

Update:
Carpool Cost:
If the gas prices remain high, it may be more appropriate to reimburse the driver $30. However, it is only a recommendation, and it is up to a driver to decide how much they would like to be reimbursed.

Communication:
Please have message and comment alerts turned on or frequently check the meetup app for updates.

Refund for permits:
If you cancel after June 26, there is a chance you may not get a refund for the permit fee.

Update 2:
Signing up and being on the "waitlist" is not enough to attend this event. As stated above, I expect a reimbursement for the permits. Moving forward, I expect anyone who signs up to reach out to me and request my Venmo, then I will move them to the "going" list. If you have read this far, good news - some people will not read this part or follow through. If there are open spots (8 total), whoever reaches out to me first will get the spot, regardless of their position on the "waitlist".

To get message notifications, go to Settings-->Push Notifications-->Messages-->On.