Relax in quiet Packwood with Mt. Rainier looming over the horizon. Meet new friends and learn about the week ahead.

Arrive To: Check in between 3:00 - 5:30 PM at Cowlitz River Lodge.

Afternoon: 5:45 PM Group socializing activities - Meet your fellow Road Scholars.

Dinner: Dinner at 6:30 PM at a local eatery.

Evening: Program orientation and introductions/discussion until 9:00 PM

Lodging: Cowlitz River Lodge

Meals Included: Dinner

Hike around Naches Peak with outstanding views of Mt. Rainier and carpets of wildflowers. Walk through a majestic Old Growth forest.

Note: Hikes are on well maintained trails.

Breakfast: Breakfast at 7:15 AM

Morning: Hike the Naches Peak loop with beautiful views of Tipsoo lake and Mt. Rainier. 4.5 miles RT, 700 ft. elevation gain.

Lunch: Sack lunch on the trail.

Afternoon: Hike to Grove of Patriarchs, a beautiful, large-Old Growth forest with trees a thousand years old. 1.25 mile, 50 ft. elevation gain.

Dinner: Dinner at local eatery.

Evening: Evening presention on flowers will end by 9:00 PM

Lodging: Cowlitz River Lodge

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Hike at Paradise with Mt. Rainier looming over you while all around you are meadows.

Note: Skyline trail is well maintained. Some rocks to step over and gravel in sections. Optional shorter hike to Glacier vista is on a nice trail.

Breakfast: Breakfast available at 7:15 AM

Morning: From Paradise, on the south side of Mt. Rainier, cross sweetly scented meadows and wander among snow patches and the rubble of ancient glaciers. Marmots shrill their warning calls as you descend moss bordered rivulets. Short hike to Glacier Vista, 2.4 mile RT, 900 ft. elevation gain or Skyline trail loop via Panoramic viewpoint, 5.5 miles 1700 ft. elevation gain.

Lunch: Sack lunch on the trail.

Afternoon: Finish hike at Paradise on the Skyline trail.

Dinner: Dinner at Paradise Lodge.

Evening: No program this evening since we drive back from the restaurant to our lodging in Packwood.

Lodging: Cowlitz River Lodge

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Visit Mt. St. Helens, walk through the blast zone, look into the crater and see the tree rafts floating in Spirit lake.

Note: Windy ridge overlook up stairs. Optional Harmony Falls trail takes you to the edge of Spirit lake.

Breakfast: Breakfast at 7:15 AM.

Morning: Visit Meta Lake and Miners Car to see the destructive effects of the 1980 eruption and to learn how some animals and insects survived it. 0.4 miles, 20 ft. elevation gain. Hike Smith Creek trailhead to Windy Ridge for a view of Spirit Lake. Thousands of trees torn from the hillside by the eruption and megatsunami still float on the lake's surface. 1.5 miles, 300 ft. elevation gain.

Lunch: Sack lunch on the trail.

Afternoon: Continue hiking at Mt. St. Helens. Harmony Falls was a beautiful high cascade until massive mudflows dammed the outlet of Spirit Lake and reduced the fall's height by half. 2.2 miles, 700 ft. elevation gain.

Dinner: Dinner at 6:30 PM.

Evening: Evening program on local history or geology will end by 9:00 PM.

Lodging: Cowlitz River Lodge

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Explore historic Longmire springs on the westside of Mt. Rainier, Hike to several of the waterfalls in the park.

Note: Narada Falls hike is downhill on a well maintained trail.

Breakfast: Breakfast at 7:15 AM.

Morning: Sleep in for an extra hour before driving to Longmire for our waterfall hikes. Narada Falls spills over a wall of basalt into a small pool, then veils 159' in a lacy display that can stretch to a width of 75' - complete with rainbows! Shuttle one way: 4.5 miles, 2,044’ elevation loss or short hike, 3.5 miles, 1800’ elevation loss.

Lunch: Sack lunch on trail.

Afternoon: Walk Trail of Shadows and learn about the area's human history. Wander through old forests, wet meadows, and the mineral springs that Longmire became known for. 0.75 mile, 55’ elevation gain on very nice trail.

Dinner: Dinner at a restaurant

Evening: No program this evening since we drive back from the restaurant to our lodging in Packwood.

Lodging: Cowlitz River Lodge

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Note: Hike is on a well maintained trail.

Breakfast: Breakfast at 7:15 AM.

Morning: Hike the eastside of Mt. Rainier from Sunrise to First Burroughs Mtn. Enjoy superb mountain views as you walk through some of the finest, most accessible tundra in the Cascades. 5 miles, 800 ft. elevation gain.

Lunch: Sack lunch on the trail.

Afternoon: Continue hiking Burroughs Mtn. See Emmons Glacier, largest in the contiguous United States. Optional add on hike to Second Burroughs Mtn. 1.2 miles RT and 400 ft. elevation gain.

Dinner: Provided by the local community at 6 PM .

Evening: Share stories, photos and experiences from the week during a closing program that ends by 9:00 pm.

Lodging: Cowlitz River Lodge

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Note: No activity scheduled as people pack up for their departure after breakfast.

Breakfast: Breakfast will be available at 7:00 AM

Morning: Program ends at 7:30 AM with everyone checking out by 10:00 AM.

Meals Included: Breakfast