Glacier View Wilderness
For an extravagant look at the glacier-covered west side of Mount Rainier, hike to the top of 5,450-foot Glacier View in the northwest corner of this Wilderness, which, coincidentally, shares a portion of the western boundary of Mount Rainier National Park. The annual snowfall can exceed 25 feet, and the snowmelt here tumbles down eventually into the South Puyallup River, filling nine small alpine lakes in a rich meadowed basin hidden by long ridges on both sides. Some of these lakes dry up in summer. You'll find cold water in Goat Lake, Lake West, and Lake Christine year-round. The forest cover is heavy with fir, pine, hemlock, and cedar, and thick with an understory of ferns, mosses, beadlily, trillium, and other sweet wildflowers.
Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).
| Designation | Wilderness |
| Managed by | U.S. Forest Service |
| State | Washington |
| Size | 3,060 acres |
| Designated | 1984, by Congress |
| Center point | 46.80° N, 121.93° W |
| Night sky | About as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 7) |
Boundary map
Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground
The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.
Weather by month
Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.
Where to camp
None of the 4 federal campgrounds within ten miles sit inside the boundary. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.
Trails
4 named Forest Service trails enter this wilderness, 8 miles in all.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| Puyallup | 2.5 | |
| Glacier View | 2.2 | |
| Lake Christine | 1.7 | |
| Peak Two | 1.4 |
Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas. This trail list was copied from Trailhead Atlas on November 1, 2026 and is copied again on each weekly run. Trails in plain text have no page there yet.
Fire nearby
- PrescribedHorse Piles Rx - North
6 mi from the center point
- PrescribedLynx Pile Rx - North
9 mi from the center point · 16 acres
- WildfireGarda Falls
13 mi from the center point · 308 acres · 0% contained
- PrescribedPackwood Lake Piles Rx - North
22 mi from the center point
Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge, and is measured from the center of a boundary that may be many miles across. Check the agency page for closures.
Explore
Nearby on the other atlases
- 14.6 miYakima Park Stockade Group ↗National Historic Landmark
- 0.1 miGobbler's Knob Fire Lookout ↗Nisqually Entrance, WA
- 0.7 miLake George Patrol Cabin ↗Longmire, WA
- 1.2 miSouth Puyallup River Bridge ↗Nisqually Entrance, WA
- 1.3 miSt. Andrews Creek Bridge ↗Nisqually Entrance, WA
- 1.3 miSt. Andrews Patrol Cabin ↗Nisqually Entrance, WA
- 1.7 miTahoma Vista Comfort Station ↗Nisqually Entrance, WA
- 2.6 miHershey, Peter L. and Emma, Homestead ↗Ashford, WA
Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.
Guidebooks for Washington
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Glacier View Wilderness?
3,060 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages Glacier View Wilderness?
The U.S. Forest Service.
Source: Wilderness Connect
What state is Glacier View Wilderness in?
Washington.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was Glacier View Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 1984.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Can I camp at Glacier View Wilderness?
Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from roads, with no facilities, and the managing agency page has the permit rules. The federal campgrounds within ten miles are listed under Where to camp.
Source: Where to camp
How do I get to Glacier View Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 46.796° N, 121.932° W. Mount Rainier National Park is 11 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Is there a fire near Glacier View Wilderness right now?
4 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Horse Piles Rx - North at 6 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.
Source: Fire nearby
Which national parks are near Glacier View Wilderness?
Mount Rainier National Park (11 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.
Source: Nearby on the other atlases
Are there historic places near Glacier View Wilderness?
The National Register has 30 listings within 15 miles, including Yakima Park Stockade Group and Gobbler's Knob Fire Lookout.
Source: Register Atlas
Sources
- Boundary, name, acreage, designation year, states and description: Wilderness Connect.
- Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
- Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, points inside the boundary.
- Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched on the wilderness each trail enters.
- Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
- Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.