The Flett Glacier is the go to spot for early season turns on the north side of Mount Rainier National Park. Being one of a few small glaciers with relatively easy access in is a fun alternative to the Muir Snowfield. With a 6 mile hike from Mowich Lake and Spray park just a little bit of snow can make this place great for taking short but sweet laps. Being protected between Echo and Observation Rocks it holds snow relatively well and is a great place to get away from the crowds.

Leaving the Mowich Lake Trailhead

By mid September we were at the tail end of summer and winter was closing in fast. A huge front had just come through the Pacific Northwest and according to the forecasts it had been quite cold. Knowing that there was a good chance that the moisture fell as snow we decided to drive up to Mowich Lake. Once at the parking lot there was no snow to be seen as we put our boards on our packs and started hiking towards Spray Park.

Once in Spray park the conditions changed dramatically. Everything was covered in fresh snow as we made our way towards the Flett Glacier a step at a time. Off in the distance we could see Echo Rock and we starting climbing in that direction as we knew that the Flett Glacier was at its base.

We were able to follow the trail through Spray Park as we kept gaining elevation. The sun was coming and going as a cloud would occasionally cover it.

Breaking Trail up Spray Park to the Flett Glacier

Once we wrapped around the lower ridge we had our first view of the upper Spray Park area. While the snowpack was still thin it looked like the Flett Glacier Headwall was holding some great snow.

Between Eric, Scott Brain and I we switched breaking trail duties every 30 steps. It seemed the higher we climbed the better the snow got. While it was still September we knew that once we finally made it to the Flett Glacier we were going to find some epic turns. By now the sun had started to come out and we had a great view of Mount Pleasant and Knapsack Pass in the Mowich Lake area.

Lapping the Flett Glacier in Powder Conditions

Finally we made it to the base of the Flett Glacier and we were happy to see that it looked great. By now the sun was shining on the surrounding area and we were looking forward to some early season powder turns. Before long we were breaking in a boot pack that we could lap numerous times.

We put the bootpack on the right hand side so we would have an open canvas to put turns down. Once heading to the top of the glacier we strapped in and took our first turns of the season.

With the snow being so good we made our way immediately back up our bootpack. Knowing that the run was good top to bottom we strapped in and both Eric and I made our second lap side by side.

While we expected the snow to be good we didn’t expect it to feel bottomless. Making our way down we were finding unconsolidated snow with Mount Rainier as our backdrop.

Our Final Run on the Flett Glacier Before Heading to Mowich Lake

With it being early in the season and us having a long hike back to the car we decided to take one final lap. As we strapped in the sun had come out again. Riding between our old tracks we left our final mark on the Flett Glacier before heading out.

While the snow was decently deep it wasn’t enough down lower. knowing that we put our boards back on our packs and followed our bootpack back to Mowich Lake Campground. We had expected to find some snow but didn’t think it would be as good as it was. Back at the car we celebrated getting our September turns before driving back to civilization. Once again the Flett Glacier area had hike up had paid off big time.

Thank you for reading this trip on the Flett Glacier. If you want to see more ski tours within Mount Rainier Backcountry check out this link.