Hot Springs Nature Trail

This half-mile loop is the kind of trail you knock out before dinner and end up talking about all evening. Starting from the Ohanapecosh Campground area, you immediately duck under a canopy of old-growth Douglas-firs and western hemlocks so thick the light filters down in cathedral shafts. The path is well-groomed and mostly flat — think packed dirt with the occasional root to step over. Within minutes you reach the Ohanapecosh Hot Springs, where mineral-rich water bubbles up through mossy rock at around 120 degrees, sending wisps of steam curling through the ferns. You can't soak in them (they're protected), but watching the water seep and steam among ancient trees feels like stumbling into something primordial. This is the perfect trail for families with small kids, anyone recovering from a bigger summit day, or visitors who want a taste of Rainier's old-growth forests without committing to a full afternoon.