The Rampart Ridge Loop leads hikers from the Longmire Visitor Center up and over "The Ramparts" - a series of jagged rock formations borne from ancient Rainier lava flows. Views from atop Rampart Ridge are excellent. On a clear day, one can easily see Mount Rainier, Iron Mountain and Kautz Creek as well as Eagle Peak, the Longmire area and the Nysqually River Valley. The Rampart Ridge Loop is accessed across the street from the National Park Inn at Longmire and travels .6 miles counter-clockwise on the Trail of Shadows before splitting west (right) and starting the steep ascent up the ridge.

Rampart Ridge aka The Ramparts rising from the Longmire meadows

Cascade Fox (Vulpes vulpes cascadensis) are rare and known to inhabit the Rampart Ridge area

Boardwalks aid hikers along the Wonderland Trail near Longmire - Paradise Road

Decaying iron oxidizes when reaching the surface leaving a rusty hue on this natural spring

This cabin was the summer retreat for Len Longmire - one of the many Longmires who homesteaded the area

Clouds obscure Mount Rainier - seen from the back side of Rampart Ridge

The top of Rampart Ridge is filled with lichen covered scree - ancient remnants of volcanic activity

Deer Fern (Blechnum spicant) one of many fern species to flourish in Mount Rainier National Park

The thick trunk of a healthy Western red cedar - prized for their use in construction

A field of Horsetail reclaims a fallen red alder along the Trail of Shadows