In November of 2021, Mount Rainier National Park issued an emergency closure of the Grove of The Patriarchs trail on the east side of the national park due to damage during recent flooding. The bridge that spans between the Eastside Trail and the Grove of The Patriarchs through the ancient cedars had been washed away eliminating access to the popular loop. They do not have an estimated opening for the trail but know it won’t be in 2024.
The bridge normally looked like this:
But here is a picture from a trip report on WTA on November 12, 2021 by All Of Us:
They say the rangers think a large log struck it and not only damaged the decking but uprooted the footings enough to make the whole bridge hazardous. Yikes! The Ohanapecosh River runs too deep here for any reasonable water ford, I can see why they would close this trail. I am sure you can still walk the Eastside Trail that heads north from the Stevens Canyon entrance, you just can’t cross the bridge.
When this news came out of the bridge closure, I was reminded that I was lucky enough to have done a snowshoe trip to the Grove of Patriarchs in March of that year as it may be awhile before anyone can return to visit the trees that stand tall on the other side of the bridge.
The snowshoe trip would still be worth it as there are some lovely water crossings and you can loop back from the Stevens Canyon entrance through the Silver Falls area. With the main park entrance closed on State Route 123, you will have far less crowds than you would during the summer.
Mother Nature always has the final say and we will just have to wait patiently while the parks service makes plans to replace the bridge. But that doesn’t mean you still can’t visit this area and I think winter when snow is on roads is the best time to go!
Want to visit yourself? You can learn more about this snowshoe and my experience on my Grove of The Patriarchs page.
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