Rampart Ridge Loop
Mount Rainier Area
As of April 30, 2026, the Rampart Ridge Loop is largely snow-free and muddy in spots, with easy navigation. Parking at Longmire was readily available on a Thursday afternoon. Earlier reports in March noted icy snow patches, particularly at higher elevations, with poles recommended for stability, though spikes weren't always necessary. Downed trees are present but easily managed. Reports from February indicated some icy sections requiring microspikes (February 28), while others found the trail surprisingly snow-free for the season, with only minor dustings or short patches of ice (February 14, February 5). Road access to Longmire has been generally clear, with some reports of potential chain requirements for certain vehicles earlier in February.
generated from 32 reports
Conditions at a Glance
Trail
Trail in good condition
1 of 1
Snow
Trail snow-covered at times - gear and expertise recommended
1 of 1
Road
Road suitable for all vehicles
1 of 1
Bugs
No bugs
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Sources
Did the Rampart Ridge Loop (part of which is the Wonderland Trail). Arrived at Longmire around noon on a Thursday with no issues parking. The trail is completely snow free, somewhat muddy in a few are...
Headed out early in the morning on a beautiful sunny day. I did the loop counter-clockwise. Encountered icy snow patches periodically once I had gone up higher (lower portion of trail was snow free)...
A beautiful day to get views of her majesty! There are a couple downed trees on the trail. Not hard to cross over or under. The last half of the trail has a ton of ice. Micro spikes were a life saver ...
Note: This report only covers about first mile and a half of the loop (clockwise) starting from Trail of Shadows. Light dusting of new snow - unusual for this time of year. Some of the ground was froz...
The lack of snow atop Rampart Ridge in the middle of February is pretty remarkable, even at 4000’! Other than the previous night’s 1” dusting of snow that managed to find the forest floor through open...
Trail was snow free except for about 15 feet of snow/ice on the trail at the Mount Rainer viewpoint. Very easy to cross.A few easy blowouts. Bridges were fine and the trail for the most part dry.A rea...
Headed up to the park with intentions to go snowshoeing, but the park made a late call to leave the road to Paradise closed for the day. With the full day open for us still, we decided to head up anyw...
Rampart Ridge Loop (from Longmire MRNP) trip report for Saturday, January 24, 2026.Took advantage of a sun-filled, blue sky day to head up to the National Park. Parked at Longmire about 10:00am and pl...
Very small amounts of snow at Longmire, easy to walk. We brought microspikes but didn't need them. Temperature was in the 30s at Longmire, but after climbing about 200' up, the temperature rose rapi...
Arrived at Longmire knowing the gate was not to be opened, group decided to do Rampart Ridge as an alternate. Crossed the road and was on snow, put on snowshoes for climb. Except for a couple of locat...
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