Burroughs Mountain Trail - 9.0 Miles Round-Trip

Burroughs Mountain is located on the NE side of Mount Rainier between Emmons Glacier and Winthrop Glacier. The mountain, named for naturalist John Burroughs, can be thought of as a long bulky ridge with three distinct summits, or 'Burroughs'. 

Trail Map | Photo Gallery

The first two summits are broad and flat - almost as if their tops were cut off - and the third spans a narrow ridge that extends from Steamboat Prow between Emmons and Winthrop glaciers.

Hikers will enjoy miles of open tundra with up-close views of the glaciers, and panoramas across the entire Sunrise area, Berkeley Park, Sourdough Range and White River. 

Burroughs Mountain is accessible from Glacier Basin, and two different approaches from the Sunrise Visitor Center. This description begins at Sunrise and follows the Sourdough Ridge Trail to Frozen Lake, where the Burroughs Mountain Trail splits off for the summits.

Note that some sections, especially north-faces, can hold snow all year. Technical gear and know-how may be necessary. Travel to the third summit is considered more difficult than the first two. Call ahead for conditions before setting out:

Follow signs from the parking lot to the trailhead for all destinations. An access trail runs up to the Sourdough Ridge Trail (.3 miles : 6,630'); turn left to the Huckleberry Creek Trail split and follow signs for Frozen Lake (.62 miles : 6,790'). You'll have good views across Huckleberry Basin to McNeely Peak from this point.

The trail rolls to the south side of the ridge and drops to a 4-way junction on the edge of a broad alpine meadow at Frozen Lake (1.5 miles : 6,760'). Turn left on the Burroughs Mtn Trail, which climbs 412' in .55 miles to the First Burroughs (2.05 miles : 7,172'). Prairie-like tundra grasses cover this broad, flat summit.

The trail continues along the north rim, passes the Sunrise Trail split (2.25 miles), dips along a saddle and rises back to the Second Burroughs (2.85 miles : 7,402'). The summit is similarly flat but covered in scree, which can be more freely explored without damaging sensitive vegetation.

The trail drops steeply from #2 across a saddle to a Burroughs Mountain Trail sign pointing down to the Glacier Basin Trail, which is 1.7 miles away (3.3 miles : 7,120'). Bear right on the unmarked but well-traveled fork for summit #3. 

The trail drops to a nadir (3.45 miles : 7,020'), then rises steeply across open tundra onto perennial snowfields. Poles and traction devices can be helpful here, even when conditions are not technical. Grades moderate on the final push to the Third Burroughs Mountain (4.5 miles : 7,828').

The summit spans a long, rugged ridge that extends from Steamboat Prow (9,702') between Emmons and Winthrop glaciers. You'll have excellent views of Winthrop's rock covered terminus, and several big crevasses near the summit.

It also gives perspective on Rainier's complex topography, and of multiple drainages and basins on its NE flank.