Mount Rainier National Park

Central Washington is a transition point from the coast and rainforests to the west and the drier and hotter valley to the east. It’s a place that you can witness three seasons all at the same time as snow prevails well into the summer months at the higher elevations even when temperatures soar to the 80’s and 90’s. Wildflowers bloom along the moist ground where snow has melted, and at the center of this is a magnificent volcanic mountain.

Mount Rainier is the 5th tallest mountain peak in the lower 48 United States at 14,417 and one of four prominent volcanos in central Washington and northern Oregon, the others being Mount Adams, Mount St. Helens and Mount Hood. The white dome of Mount Rainier seems to stand out from everywhere but it shares its beauty with surrounding jagged mountain peaks and plush green valleys.

The park has two primary corridors, Paradise and Sunset. Each requires its own timed entry so you will have to plan accordingly. There are also more remote areas of the park including Carbon River and Mowich in the far northwest region of the park and Ohanapecosh located right off of the main park road leading to Paradise and Sunset in the southeast part of the park.

It was nice to return to one of the nostalgic National Parks. You could almost imagine a mom, dad and the kids unloading from the family station wagon, sporting stick-on wood paneling, for a roadside picnic. This national park was established before there was even a National Park Service. These older parks did such a good job of designing the roads to integrate into the natural surroundings. Local stone is used for guardrails and arched bridges. Tunnels are bored into the rock to look like they have always been there.

When we first drove around the park there were clouds hiding the mountain. We knew it was there, and the area was beautiful, but it seemed a little underwhelming. We returned on the second and subsequent days when the clouds seemed to melt away into the valley and the “wow” factor arose!

TIP: If you’re a serious hiker consider investing in some crampons, essentially tire chains for hiking boots. I always took the stance that If I need crampons, it’s probably a hike I shouldn’t be doing. However, in places like central Washington where winter and summer seem to share the same space, I’ve changed my mind on this topic and plan to add crampons to my hiking gear.

PARADISE CORRIDOR

The Paradise corridor is by far the most popular area of the park and has an east and west entrance. The main crowds seem to congregate in Paradise where there is a visitors center, lodge, restaurant and access to many of the hiking trails. A parking spot can be very difficult to find so you will need some people patience here. As you drive through the park there are many places to stop and take in the views or access a hiking trail. Continuing on the road to the west will get you into Longmire, one of the more historical parts of the park and the original park headquarters. Among the historical buildings are a visitors center, museum and lodge.

Some of our favorite things in the Paradise corridor include:

Snow Lake Trail

A tip from a park ranger pushed this little hike up on our priority list. It was the same ranger who told us what her favorite “rainy day” hike was, which gave her instant credibility. And I thought rainy days were for sleeping late! Anyway this 2.2 mile moderate hike has some good ups and downs and a few log river crossings which makes it just enough for a good little workout… and the payoff at the end is incredible. Yes, it’s another one of those amazing glacial lakes and we caught it on a perfect sunny day.

Myrtle Falls

This is one of the popular hikes right behind the Paradise visitors center. It had quite a bit of snow on the trail still and was incredibly crowded. We even saw someone dragging along their suitcase on this short hike! But, the views are great and the waterfall is pretty so it’s a good option for a short hike in the Paradise area.

Narada Falls

This is an absolutely gorgeous waterfall and a must see located right off the road but does require a very short (and steep) walk along a paved path to get to it. When the sun hits the falls just right where you see a rainbow in the spray.

Christine Falls

This is another picturesque roadside waterfall. It lines up perfectly framed by the old arched bridge that might just take you back to a different time and a different place.

Reflection Lake

This is the stop for one of the iconic Mount Rainier pictures and all you have to do is park your car and it’s right there. The first day we stopped there and saw a pretty lake with some low clouds. But then as the clouds cleared for the remainder of our trip we saw what was behind those clouds!

Skyline Trail

This marque hike at Mount Rainier was a unique experience. It’s a challenging hike at 5.7 miles and nearly 1,800 feet of elevation change. In the best of conditions, it’s steep and rocky in spots, but in July in central Washington, it’s apparently still winter. There was lots of snow still on the trail which made it much more difficult. At some points hiking became sledding. The views at the top and along the way were incredible. In sight are Mount Adams, Mount Hood and Mount St. Helens in the distance. What a workout and what a great hike!

SUNRISE CORRIDOR

The Sunrise corridor is smaller and a bit less traveled than Paradise so it tends to be more laid back. That said, there’s also not as many amenities in Sunrise. Yes, there’s a visitors center, lodge and small gift shop and store but nowhere to just hang out and enjoy a beverage or bite to eat. The drive into Sunrise goes through a deep forested area and climbs up to 6,400 feet, a thousand feet higher than Paradise. Once you get above the tree line the views of Mount Rainier and the surrounding mountains are really incredible. The higher altitude and closer proximity to the mountain totally immerses you into the environment.

Some of our favorite things in the Sunrise corridor include:

Sunrise Point Lookout

One of the best viewpoints in Sunrise is at Sunrise Point Lookout where you have a 360 degree vantage point. The turnoff is right off the road at the last bend before reaching the visitors center so it’s easy to find. It’s a pretty special spot, and you guessed it (drum roll please)… a fabulous place to catch a sunrise.

Mount Fremont Lookout Trail

This is an amazing hike to a fire lookout tower situated on the far reaches of a cliffs edge. It’s just under six miles and via the Frozen Lake trail. Once you pass Frozen Lake, the trail traverses along the cliff edge and out to the fire lookout. The views along the way and at the point are magnificent from all directions. The return trip gives you a few options due to the interconnecting trails

Burroughs Mountain Trail

I decided to detour to the Burroughs trail on my return from Fremont Lookout. Earlier in the week the reports on this trail were of extremely treacherous conditions due to the current snow and ice. The trail looked good so I gave it a try. Although it did require navigating through a few areas of snow, I did take it to the second burrough, and I’m so glad I did. I rank this as my #1 Mount Rainier hike. From the second burrough you are immersed in the mountain and its glaciers, simply magnificent. My efforts paid off in the overall experience and wildlife sightings. At one point my hike was delayed due to a large herd of mountain goats crossing the trail and then later, only a mile from the trailhead, I encountered a black bear just off the trail. It was a long and tiring day at close to 10 miles under my boots and worth every step.

OHANAPECOSH

This is a smaller area of the park outside the main pay gates so no entry fee or timed entry pass is required. There essentially is a campground, visitors center and hiking trails… one in particular that shouldn’t be missed.

Silver Falls Loop Trail

This 3 mile loop trail has all the elements, a plush forest, raging river, turquoise water and a narrow rock canyon. You can even do a little rock scrambling to get closer to the falls. The bridge over the canyon adds the perfect final element to the scene and a highlight picture to take home.

OUTSIDE THE PARK

As with most National Park areas, there’s often much to see and do outside of the park as well. The general Mount Rainier area is no exception to this, as we found many things of interest within an hour and a half from the park including;

Mount St. Helens

We took advantage of our location in Packwood to drive out to the backside of Mount St. Helens one day. It’s a remote location to get to, but a side trip that shouldn’t be missed. I’ll cover more about Mount St. Helens in our next blog, but what this drive does is it gives you a great perspective of the overall area. In many spots you can clearly see three of the four volcano’s (St. Helens, Hood and Adams) and in a couple of locations you can see all four, including Rainier. Although they are too spread out to get in your camera’s lens, it is an incredible and unique site to see.

Sun Top Lookout

Along the Chinook Scenic Byway (SR 410) is access to a fire lookout station and an amazing 360-degree view of Mount Rainier and the surrounding mountains and forests. An approximate 8 mile drive up 3,000 feet via a rough gravel road treats you to this epic spot. What’s truly unique about this fire lookout is that it is still used as an active fire lookout and staffed by volunteers working directly with the Forest Service. The volunteer with Snoqualmie Fire Lookouts Association (SFLA) that we met shared her experiences staffing the lookout on three-day rotations. I have to say I was a bit jealous hearing about the amazing sunrises and sunsets and seeing her pictures of the Milky Way rising from behind Mount Rainier. Sign me up for that job!

Yakima

Yakima is about an hour and a half east of where we stayed in Packwood. I’ll be honest, it’s not a very appealing town, but it does have a few things that makes it worth the trip. First off, the Downtown Yakima Farmers Market provides a great assortment of local fruits and vegetables in addition to fresh baked goods and other items. We love supporting small local farms and stocking up on goodies.

It was Lavender Harvest Days in Yakima so we visited Selah Ridge Lavender Farm. It was enjoyable walking through the lavender fields and cutting some to take home. It sure smells good out in those fields!

There are many orchards throughout the Yakima Valley that you can drive by or visit such as Johnson Orchards. The Central Washington Agricultural Museum is also supposed to be a worthy stop. We didn’t make it to either of these but enjoyed the drive through the valley and then taking the scenic route back via the Chinook Scenic Byway.

We have one more stop before we leave Washington and it will be sad to move on. It’s amazing how much there is in close proximity to Seattle and just how diverse it is from one area to the other. Mount Rainier was a win for us and its beauty will be forever etched in my mind.

Be sure to check out the rest of our pictures.