Exploring Mount Rainier National Park

 

So I might be slightly biased but Mt Rainier National Park is one of my favorite National Parks- I love that I only live and hour away from it and that we can visit as often as we want. The truth about Mt Rainier is that it is so big and so vast that I can never truly explore all of it but my plan for this blogpost is to continue to update it as we visit the park. Every time we go we make a point of hiking a new trail or exploring a new area and I will add pictures and descriptions as we explore. 

The first time we visited in 2018

Why do I love Mt Rainier?

- Every time I visit the park I find it so peaceful and majestic and I am overcome by the beauty. 

-I think it is also very visitor/family friendly. There are some major hikes that require some skill but there are alot of easy hikes that make it open to less mobile people. 

- You can see so much on the drive through the park 

Basics/ Facts about Mt Rainier 

- Mt Rainier is the highest peak in the state of Washington at 14,400 it is technically a stratovolcano but has not had any activity since the 1800s. It is very prominent in the landscape of Seattle, Tacoma and the South Sound region. When flying into Sea-Tac airport is very easy to pick out Mt Rainier from the plane. 

- If you are traveling through I would recommend having a flexible schedule and trying to come on a non rainy/cloudy day. This is easier said than done depending on the season but if is cloudy you won't actually see Mt. Rainier 

-  You can climb Mt Rainier- and many people do each year. You have to prepare for it though you can't just show up and climb it. 

-It costs $30 to enter Mt Rainier NP with a car. This is valid for 7 consecutive days 

- There are three major entrances into the park- The Northwest corner entrance (Carbon River), The Northeast corner (Sunrise) and the Southwest Corner (Nisqually Entrance). By far the most popular entrance is the Nisqaully Entrance on route 706. This is because it allows you the most access to park and allows you to traverse the park. Be warned route 706 looks like it was drawn by a toddler but it paved and well maintained-unlike some other roads at National parks I've been to (I'm looking at you North Dakota!) 

-Be prepared for cooler weather and snow in some parts- even in July! Remember that you are going up a mountain. This is nice for hiking but its nice to be prepared. 

- I feel like I say this all the time but- BE PREPARED! Bring plenty of water, appropriate clothing and plenty of food. 

For Max's birthday and to escape the heat we took the motorcycle to Mt Rainier. 

Twin Firs 

Distance: 0.4 Miles 

Rating: Easy- no major gain in elevation. 

This is one of the first available hikes when entering the park. It is an easy "warm up hike" or great kid hike to run around and explore the woods and see some big trees (especially if you've been stuck in a car for the last hour and need to stretch your legs. There is a sign for the hike on the main road and pull off parking. 

Longmire 

Carter Falls Trail 

From Longmire 5.5 miles total out and back 

Easy-moderate- has a pretty decent elevation climb right at the end by the falls. 

We did this trail in winter (as you can tell by the snow) because we had a friend visiting and in Winter the road only goes to Longmire. I would love to come back in spring and do it again and get a better view of the falls. From longmire you get on the wonderland trail and then it connects to the trail to Carter falls. There are good signs along the way. One of our favorite parts of this hike was passing through the river bed- it was so neat. 

Christine Falls 

This is right off the road- so much so that I really don't consider it a hike- its just a nice pull off and you have to walk like 50ft to get the best view of it.

Nerada Falls 

Distance: 0.2 miles (downhill then back uphill) 

Difficulty: Easy- but can be slippery

This is beautiful waterfall and a relatively easy hike. When we visited in May there was snow on parts of the trail and it can be wet and slippery. This is a popular spot and there is a lot of parking. 

Paradise 

So  I feel like the average person that visits basically heads straight for Paradise. I think this is because A.) its called paradise and B.) It's the highest point that you can drive to within the park. What most people are surprised to discover when they visit in summer is that often it is still covered in snow and therefore difficult to hike. There is a visitor center here that is very neat to explore as well as lodging. Most of the hiking in this area is just straight up- so if that's your thing then go for it but most people really don't enjoy it for long periods of time. We hiked a bit of the Skyline trail when WA was having a heat wave and we were trying to go north to beat the heat. The entire trail was snow though so its difficult to say what the trail is truly like. 

Reflection Lake 

Reflection Lake is an iconic place in the National Park. On a good day you can see the entire mountain reflected into the crystal clear lake- I've yet to accomplish this but I'm determined to and I'll post the photo when I do. 

Lakes Trail to High Lakes trail loop 

Distance: 2.75 mil 

Difficultly: Moderate

We hiked around the reflection lake in fall and it was a beautiful hike that I would definitely recommend. This was the first time that I came that there wasn't snow on this trail. We parked at the parking lot for the reflection lake and the trail head is right at the parking lot. It is a bit of a hike up but the views are gorgeous and we loved the fall colors. We also saw two deer while we were on the trail. 

The parking lot of the reflection lakes          &         Reflecting at the reflection lake before the hike

Bench and Snow Lake 

Distance: 2.2 mile- out and back 

Difficulty: Moderate 

We hiked this in early September and it was beautiful. There is a steady elevation gain all the way to snow lake (446 ft total). We found it to be a very pretty and enjoyable hike. Snow lake is very pretty with it's crystal clear aquamarine water. You can also primitive camp at snow lake overnight.  It is located just past the reflection lakes- there is not much signage for this trail so pay attention. Literally the picture of the sign below is it and there is a small turn off with parking for a few cars. 

Snow Lake

Silver Falls Loop Trail

Distance: 3 Miles roundtrip

Difficulty: Easy/Moderate

This is a very pretty hike that connects to the Grove of the Patriarchs (see below). The trail starts at the Ohanapecosh campground and goes north. The waterfall on this trail is absolutely gorgeous!! 

Grove of the Patriarchs 

Distance: 1 mile round trip

Difficulty: Easy

If you do nothing else at Mt Rainier you should at least do this. This 1 mile loop is very family friendly and good for people who are not very mobile. This trail leads you across the Ohanapecosh river to basically an island trees that are centuries old. The trees are very large and quite beautiful. Fair warning you do have to cross a bridge to get there- the bridge is safe but it does swing so this might make some people uneasy. The majority of island is a boardwalk to protect the old trees. 

Happy Hiking!!!