The park is named for Dr. William Frazier Tolmie (1812-1866), who spent 16 years working for the Hudson’s Bay Company at Fort Nisqually as a physician, surgeon, botanist and fur trader.

Tolmie studied the languages of the people of the Northwest. This proved useful in trading and in his medical work among the American Indians.

During the Indian Wars of 1855-1856, his ability to communicate helped bring peace.

Tolmie was the first to attempt an ascent of Mount Rainier, and made observations of plants, animals and glaciers.

The Four Cedars Trail is an interpretive loop. Numbers painted on log posts coincide with information at the trailhead. There is a second short interpretive trail around the outskirts of the ranger’s residence, which is just beyond the park’s entrance.Read The Full Story