Mt. Rainier National Park

All Travel

Sep 20

The magnetic marvel of Mt. Rainier (pronounced RAIN-EAR) is unparalleled. It begins with a drum roll through the windy road full of babbling brooks and waterfalls, giving glimpses of Mt. Rainier’s peak. As you reach higher up the mountain towards Mt Rainier’s Paradise and Sunrise sections of the park, you will feel its roaring energy. Mt. Rainier is one of the most popular national parks in the U.S. I have many tips and information listed below to help guide you through this park's most popular entrances: Paradise and Sunrise.

Tips

What to Bring & How to Prepare

Get there EARLY when visiting in July-August - this is extremely important! We got to the park between 7-8am each time we went, which means we left the Olympia/Seattle area around 6am. When we exited the park around noon, the line was almost 2 miles long to get into the park - we approximated that this was about a 2 hour-long line! If you get there after 8am, parking will also be an issue.

You will need to check what the snow conditions are like at the location you are headed to. Using the Mt. Rainier webcams gives you a good visual of what the current conditions are like there and how you should prepare. Also, the comments on the All Trails website are very helpful.
The first time I visited Mt. Rainier was at the end of May, and we needed to rent snowshoes when at Paradise. I recommend using REI to rent snowshoes and trekking poles as it is cheap, especially if you are an REI member.
I recommend renting trekking poles for certain hikes in the summer months: Skyline Trail at Paradise, and for the Mount Fremont and Burroughs trails at Sunrise.
Especially if you are walking in snow, put sunscreen underneath your nose and your neck as the sun will reflect up.
Turn your All Trails app on and leave your Google Maps directions on before you leave the Seattle/Olympia area as you will not have service about an hour from Mt. Rainier. Be sure not to close out of these apps once you are on the mountain as you will not be able to get it back unless you have wifi in the Paradise area.

Paradise

There are four driving entrances to Mt. Rainier. Paradise is the most popular entrance and area of Mount Rainier, which is the southern area. Below you will find many different hiking trails depending on the time of year and the type of hike you are looking for. Sunrise is the second most popular section of the park. Scroll down further to read more about Sunrise.

Hiking Trails

Skyline Trail

Whether you brave the snow in the spring to get to this steep but dynamic trail’s Panorama Point (4 miles there-and-back, 1500 ft elevation), or enjoy the entire loop in the summer (6.2 miles, 1700+ ft elevation), this trail has it all. In the winter, you get the magical snowy-scape and give yourself a great workout in the snow using snowshoes. In the summer, I recommend using trekking poles on the steep fairy-tale pathways lined with colorful wildflowers. This is probably the mostly popular pathway I experienced at Mt. Rainier. But to me it is the most beautiful so it is worth being in close proximity to other people when hiking to experience this. If you don’t want to wear snow shoes, you will have to do this hike in August or September. When I visited here in July, this trail was still packed with snow! You can also do the other trails listed below that are lower in elevation. But I still recommend going to Paradise to get your close-up view of Mt. Rainier and for the gift shop at Paradise Inn.

Skyline Trail on August 20 (same picture spot as the photo on the left!)

Comet Falls

This zig-zagged trail is moderately hard as it is straight-up and straight-down. I highly recommend trekking poles for this adventure! The effort is well-worth the pay-off on this 3.2-mile trek. Bring lunch and eat it near the waterfalls - but eat quickly or use bug spray!

Carter Falls to Narada Falls

Another moderately hard trek is this 5.5-mile multi-waterfall hike. It starts out in the open with crossing a river bridge for a great view of Mt. Rainier. Then you will hike in the woods for many water falls and creek crossings as you keep going upwards. Feel free to use trekking poles to keep you going to the end, but we were okay without them.

Other Things to Do in Paradise

Reflection Lake

Every time I went to Paradise, I took my friends to Reflection Lake. One of those times I got a really good reflection picture! I never hiked it, but you can just park your car and take a picture. This lake is 0.8 miles past Paradise. On the way, there is a great stopping point for a picture with your car or with you sitting on the stone ledge.

Paradise Inn

This Inn had a really good but small gift shop; I thought it was better than the visitors’ center gift shop. The Inn was built in 1916, and is beautiful to see inside and out. I recommend staying here or just doing a day trip from Seattle/Olympia is okay too!

Rise & Grind in Ashford

This is by far my favorite coffee stop in Washington and it is on the way to Paradise before you get to the park! It has the best cup of coffee - the Honey Comb Latte. Cold or hot, you choose!

Copper Creek Inn

Stop here on your way out of the park for their famous wild blackberry pie!

Tanwax Country Chapel

On the way to Paradise is a quaint country chapel that you will find from a sign saying “scenic view.” It is well-worth the stop if it’s not too cloudy out. See below for the views from its bench in the field.

Sunrise

Sunrise is the second most popular section of Mt. Rainier. I went here at sunrise, which in the summer is 5am-6am. This part of the park is about 2 hours from the Olympia/Seattle areas, so we left around 3am to get to the park in time for the magnificent views. You can go to the sunrise point parking lot that early, or if you are up for a treat, you can hike the Mt. Fremont Trail. If you do, remember to bring headlamps!

Mt. Fremont Lookout Trail

This 5.7-mile there-and-back trail was a real treat early in the morning. It had breathtaking views of the cascade mountains, and of Mt. Rainier. We saw lots of wildlife and wildflowers. I’d recommend trekking poles for this hike. For another treat, one of the Sunrise buildings had the best gift shop in Mt. Rainier!