The last stop on our Pacific Northwest adventure was Mount Rainier National Park and it was by far my favorite park to visit. We were driving down the road when I first spotted the towering 14,411 foot mountain in the distance. I literally said “Oh, shit!” in the car. The scene before me didn’t even look real and my excitement soared.
Cougar Rock Campground
I reserved a camp site in the Cougar Rock Campground because it allowed us access into the Paradise corridor which is one of the most visited places in the park. When we arrived there was a line of cars at the entrance and thankfully it moved quickly. Every bend in the road offered spectacular views of our environment, leaving us speechless.
We spent the spent the rest of the day driving around and stopping at a few of the quick overlooks/turn-offs. We also checked out the Henry M. Jackson Memorial Visitor Center at Paradise. This was the “fanciest” of visitor centers we’d seen and it was the biggest. There was a decent later afternoon crowd so we left quickly to enjoy a quiet evening at camp.
Paradise
An absolute must while visiting Mount Rainier is to hike the Skyline Loop, either in part or the entirety. The trail is 5.5 miles with an elevation gain of 1,700 feet. Starting clockwise we made our way along the steeper side of the trail and instead of staying solely on the Skyline Trail we went a little further left along the Dead Horse Creek Trail and the Glacier Vista Trail. Both these sections of trail merge back into the Skyline and stay relatively parallel. By taking these trails, however, we saw a lot more meadows and had a stunning view of the Nisqually Glacier.
We climbed until reaching Panorama Point, where we took a short break. I sat down and watching the squirrels while Erik went to use the bathroom. It was nice to relax and take in the stunning views, while also feeling proud of how far we’d hiked. I was pretty tired at this point and anytime I saw more elevation, I’d say I couldn’t do it, but I could. We took as long as we needed to make it up and I’m proud of us for completing such a long, moderate hike.
I took hundreds of photos of the wildflowers still in bloom. The visitor center had a brochure for the most common flowers to see, so Erik and I made it a challenge to try and spot as many as we could. While we were at the very end of the wildflower season, there were still so many to see. The best part of noticing the change in elevation and the differences in what was blooming. Overall we saw 29 different species!
We also enjoyed seeing some of the waterfalls! The glacier water was beautiful and such a vibrant blue to emerald. You could also tell because it would be a more cloudy white in places too. Definitely don’t miss Christine Falls, Narade Falls, Reflection Lakes, and Box-Canyon. All easily accessible from the main road!
Sunrise
When planning I also made sure to secure a reservation time for the Sunrise Corridor, which is the second most visited spot. So I had high expectations when visiting. Little did we know it would pale in comparison to Paradise, but maybe it was just bad timing and earlier in the summer it would’ve been better. The meadows were not as full of flowers and the trail we hiked was an hour and back. The ranger at the visitor center recommended the Emmons Vista and Silver Forest Trail. Sunrise is on the east side of the mountain with much larger glaciers because the sun isn’t directly hitting it the whole day. The area appeared much drier. I think I’d like to do a little more reseach on Sunrise and come back at a time where the meadows are more in bloom and hike some of the harder trail.
Ohanapecosh
In a smal corner of the park lies Ohahapecosh. A beautifully, woody area where fewer people visit, which is why it doesn’t need a reservation to access. We absolutley fell in love with the feel of this area and the emerald river flowing through the campgrounds. We’d love to come back and stay at this campground. It was such a contrast to the mountain meadows and really showcased the diversity of the park. We walked along hot springs too and got to feel that the water was a bit warmer than the glacial rivers.
Mount Rainier National Park is a beautiful place to visit with a ton to do and see. While we were there for about 3 days, I think we could’ve spent a whole week exploring more trails and parts of the park. Thanks so much for sticking around and see you on our next adventure!
GreenWorldGlimpse 