Panhandle Gap Hike
Table of contents
The Panhandle Gap hike is a 17.9 km trail in Mount Rainier National Park that offers nice mountain views and is rated as hard. This hike passes Camp Summerland, a few small lakes, and then culminates at Panhandle Gap, which has amazing views.
Route Description for Panhandle Gap Hike
The hike to Panhandle Gap is long, but it’s full of great views and points of interest along the trail. You’ll cross through Summerland Gap, enjoy some small lakes, and then finish off at the gap, which offers awesome views.
Take Summerland Trail south from the Summerland parking area. The trail shortly joins Wonderland Trail- stay straight and hike roughly alongside Fryingpan Creek. You’ll switchback along a few tight turns and then continue straight along to Camp Summerland after a few more switchbacks. The trail out of camp continues south along Wonderland.
Hiking along Wonderland for another mile, you’ll pass a couple of small lakes. These are somewhat uninspiring, so keep going for 0.6 km to the gap. The views here are fantastic, and it’s a nice place to recoup before retracing your steps back to the parking area.
Getting to the Panhandle Gap Hike Trailhead
The trailhead for the Panhandle Gap hike is located at the parking lot for Summerland Trail on Sunrise Park Road. You’ll leave from the north side of the road.
Route Information
Backcountry Campground:
Camp Summerland
When to do:
July-October
Pets allowed:
No
Family friendly:
No
Route Signage:
Average
Crowd Levels:
Moderate
Route Type:
Out and back
Panhandle Gap Hike Elevation Graph
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