Surprise Lake & Clipper Mine

On this hike, we did the fairly short trek (just over 5 miles round trip) up to Surprise Lake, located off an old logging road just across the Carbon River from Mt Rainier National Park. Near Old Baldy Mountain, it’s a nice little, tucked away lake that offers multiple water crossings, a few smaller falls to check out and a nice lake shore to rest at (and if it’s a clear day catch some views of Mt Rainier) before heading back down.

After, we found another spectacular falls as we went searching for the Clipper Mine, and old copper vein discovered around the turn of the 20th Century. It was a very short trek that included another water crossing and a bit of a scramble up a hill to get to. Once there, it’s an unassuming entrance into the hillside, but it goes back nearly a quarter-mile.

Find out a bit more about the mine: Ghost Towns of Washington