The meadows around Chinook Pass and Tipsoo Lake have drawn visitors for a long time. For thousands of years, Indian people came here in late summer to hunt and gather food and medicinal plants, leaving little trace. After the highway over Chinook Pass opened in 1931, large numbers of people arrived to picnic, camp, and park beside the lakes, and fields of wildflowers were trampled to bare ground. These subalpine meadows are fragile. Trampling shoreline grasses increases sedimentation in the water and reduces habitat quality for native amphibians and non-native rainbow trout. Hiking off trail creates social trails and damages the meadows. Native vegetation is nurtured under greenhouse conditions for replanting in damaged areas. The Naches Peak Loop Trail provides easy access to the high country, with views of alpine lakes, Mount Rainier, and Cascade peaks. The loop is 3.4 miles long, takes about 3 hours, and gains 500 feet in elevation. Wildflowers are a highlight in midsummer, with fall color later in the season. Regulations on this trail include no pets, no fires except backcountry stoves, no bicycles on trails, and no feeding or disturbing wildlife. Wilderness camping permits are required for overnight stays in the park backcountry. Dogs, horses, and pack stock are not allowed on this trail within the park except on the Pacific Crest Trail section, and different rules apply on adjacent U.S. Forest Service land.