The Owyhigh Lakes (5,185') are located 3.5 miles from White River Road in Mount Rainier National Park. The lakes are set in a broad, grassy meadow framed by Barriers Peak and Governors Ridge (east), and Tamanos Mountain (west). The Owyhigh Lakes Trail rises steadily through diverse mid-elevation and subalpine forests to a wide opening in the valley at the head of Shaw Creek.

According to legend, the Owyhigh Lakes were named after Chief 'Owhi', who loaned horses to Theodore Winthrop on his trek across the Cascades in the mid 1850s (courtesy NPS)

Red Columbine (a member of the Buttercup Family), is part of the genus Aquilegia; aquilegia is a Latin word for eagle, and a reference to the resemblance of its petals to talons

The trail runs over the lake basin but no formal path drops into it; you'll have to improvise through grassy slopes and damp meadows to reach the shore

The trail continues past the lakes into a link of flower-riddled meadows framed by the Cowlitz Chimneys, which see few visitors and are easy to explore

Though the hike in is fairly mundane compared to others in the Sunrise district, few destinations offer as much open space - or see as few visitors - as the Owyhigh Lakes

Subalpine parklands cover about 23% of the Park; these meadows fall into two groups which are shaped and defined by snow depth and duration

Several social and game trails run up Tamanos Mountain (6,790') to big meadows and a large tarn in a basin under the summit

Governors Ridge forms the steep east wall of the Shaw Creek drainage

Subalpine forests comprised of silver fir, mountain hemlock, yellow cedar and white bark pine ring the lake basin

Despite a manicured look, the meadows around the lakes can be marshy and murky, especially in early summer