The tower is 50-70 feet tall with several short rock climbing route options. This alternate is steep and has loose scree above the gap when the snow has melted off. Head up through the gap and continue north to the summit ridge. An alternate ascent to bypass this step is to head east from the notch 0.5 mile staying below rock faces on your left to a large gap in the face. In early summer the step from the notch to gain the summit ridge can have a large moat. Follow the ridge to the false summit and on to the base of Unicorn. Cross the notch and continue up to the left on easy snow or 50 feet of Class 2-3 rock to the ridge. When there is no snow, keep far left and above the scree, where a climber's trail exists. Continue up headed southeast to the notch at about 6,500 ft. Continue onto a steep snow or scree field. Pass Snow Lake, drift right onto boulder field and head up steep gully into a basin. Hike the Bench Lake Trail 0.5 mi to Bench Lake, and then 0.75 mi to Snow Lake (4,678 ft). If doing the Unicorn-Castle Traverse, leave a car at Reflection Lakes on your way to the Snow Lakes Trail head to avoid a mile of road walk at the end of the traverse. Drive ~17 miles towards Paradise, take the turnoff to Ohanapecosh, and continue ~3 miles to the Bench Lake Trailhead (4,500 ft), ~1 mi past Reflection Lakes. Be prepared to pay the fee just after entering the park. Continue through the Nisqually Entrance of Mount Rainier National Park. From SR-7 in Elbe, turn east onto SR-706, both known as the National Park Highway.
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