Some trails, especially those near Sunrise and Paradise, are packed throughout the summer. However, many forest trails offer significant solitude. Trails in the northwest corner, near the Carbon River Entrance, are relatively quiet, in part because you have to hike to them because the road has been closed to motor vehicles since 1996 due to flood damage. Mowich Lake, however, sees more weekend foot traffic since the road there is open in the summer.
For current information on trail availability or closures, call the Wilderness Information Center (tel. 360/569-HIKE) in summer, or the Longmire Museum (tel. 360/569-2211, ext. 3314) year-round.
In addition to the trails discussed below, a section of the famed Pacific Crest Trail skirts the park's eastern edge. This trail runs some 2,650 miles from Mexico to Canada. For information on the entire Pacific Crest Trail, contact the Pacific Crest Trail Association, 5325 Elkhorn Blvd., PMB no. 256, Sacramento, CA 95842-2526 (tel. 916/349-2109; fax 916/349-1268; www.pcta.org).
