Klapatche Park

Dogs No Dogs

Features Birding · Commonly Backpacked · Lake · River/Creek · Views · Wildflowers · Wildlife

This high meadow is a favorite for many backpackers. When the rest of the park is socked-in with clouds, this run's high meadow is generally above the cloudy fray. It is surmised that the name Klapatche is of Indian origin but the exact meaning has been lost.

The campsites at Klapatche Park are some of the most popular in the park, so they are often full on summer weekends. The camp is in the forest along the edge of the meadow just north of Aurora Lake. When Aurora Lake dries up in summer, St. Andrews Lake, located 0.75 mile east along the Wonderland Trail, is the closest water source. Wilderness permits are required for camping. Permits and current trail conditions are available park-wide from wilderness information centers, ranger stations, visitor centers, and on the national park's website.

As always, Westside Road is great for running, but the rest of this beastly route (the Wonderland Trail portion) is very steep to run.

One mile east of the Nisqually Entrance is the Westside Road junction. Turn here and continue up the Westside Road to where it ends (approximately 3 miles from the start of the road). Run up the closed portion of the road to the trailhead (approximately 4 miles) at South Puyallup River Trail.

The trail follows the South Puyallup River 1.8 miles to the junction with the Wonderland Trail. There is a wilderness camp here, where some backpackers choose to spend their first night. Take the Wonderland Trail north 3.9 miles, climbing a series of steep switchbacks to reach St. Andrews Park and then on to Klapatche Park.

Enjoy the phenomenal views and, hopefully, a peaceful night's rest here on the shoulder of Rainier. To return, either backtrack the way you came or make a loop with St. Andrews Creek trail for some additional forest and water scenery on the way back.

Klapatche Park features a serene mountain lake, meadows abundant with subalpine wildflowers, and grand views of Mount Rainier.