Burroughs Mountain is located on the NE side of Mount Rainier between Emmons Glacier and Winthrop Glacier. The mountain, named for naturalist John Burroughs, features three distinct summits, or 'Burroughs'.  The first two are broad and flat, and the third spans a narrow ridge that extends from Steamboat Prow between Emmons and Winthrop. Hikers will enjoy miles of open tundra with up-close views of the glaciers, and panoramas across the Sunrise area, Berkeley Park, Sourdough Range, White River and Cascades. 

Talus slopes and ridge tops are among the first alpine areas to melt and thus have the longest growing season in the zone

The trail drops 382' in .6 miles from the Second Burroughs to a saddle, then climbs 808' in just 1.05 miles to the Third Burroughs

The Burroughs Mountain Trail passes over the top of Loch Creek with views that reach across the Cascades to Glacier Peak (10,541') and Mount Baker (10,778')

Winthrop Glacier is the 2nd largest on Rainier, extending from the summit to the 4700' level* of the West Fork White River (*Courtesy NPS)

Inter Fork cuts a valley on the south side of Burroughs Mountain, and joins the White River near Glacier Basin Campground

Snow may persist well into summer, especially on north facing slopes

Steep, perennial snowfields cover portions of the route between the Second and Third Burroughs

Emmons Glacier, the source of the White River, has the largest surface area of any glacier in the contiguous US at 4.3 sq miles

First Burroughs Mountain (7,172') is nearly level with a tundra-prairie feel

Burroughs Mountain looks over the Wonderland Trail's path through Berkeley Park to Skyscraper Pass

Long snowfields under the Third Burroughs can be an easy walk-up or require crampons, depending on the time of year and condition of the snow

The trail runs atop a long, flat ridge for .8 miles between the First and Second Burroughs

As eruption events ebbed 160,000 years ago, dikes and vents on the upper east side of the volcano fed lava flows that built up Little Tahoma Peak (11,138')

A long ridge extends from Steamboat Prow (9,702') between Emmons and Winthrop glaciers to the Third Burroughs summit

Many lava flows during ice ages were unable to melt entirely through the mountain's glaciers, and instead cooled and hardened beside them on higher ridges