hiking
no dogs
views
forest
wild flowers
nature trips
walking
wildlife
birding
lake
kid friendly
waterfall
trail running
river
camping
backpacking
snowshoeing
skiing
mountain biking
rock climbing
Mount Rainier National Park is located in west-central Washington and is ideal for hiking, mountain climbing and scenic drives. Most roads are open from late May to early October, which allow for both stunning views and access to a wide range of hiking trails and other sites. Hikers will find forests with cedar, hemlock, and fir trees as well as streams and wildflower meadows. On Rainier's alpine slopes, visitors will find firs, glaciers, and tundra. Mount Rainier, an active volcano, is the most prominent peak in the Cascades, and it is covered by 26 named glaciers including Carbon Glacier and Emmons Glacier, the largest in the continental United States. The mountain is popular for climbing, and more than half of the park is covered by subalpine and alpine forests. Paradise on the south slope is one of the snowiest places in the world, and the Longmire visitor center is the start of the Wonderland Trail, which encircles the mountain.
frozen and beautiful
Went up last weekend and it was beautiful. Only my second time snowshoeing. Definitely will do it again!
beautiful!!
The snow made this an even better hike
This was our first winter hike and snowshoe and it was simply perfect!! The forest road up was snow covered on the upper half but super driveable in my Honda Pilot. We were surprised to find the trail so easy to follow even though it was covered with snow the whole way. Lake Eleanor was completely frozen and snowed over. We made it about 4 miles in and picnicked up in the amazing meadow although Rainier didn’t uncloak until a few hours later after we were gone - simply gorgeous nonetheless. Passed two backcountry skiers on the way down. Hoping they maybe saw Rainier. Such a wonderful combination of forest, lake, meadow. Cannot wait to contrast this hike in the summertime. I am envisioning the fields of flowers...
The snow is hard packed out to the falls which are iced over and beautiful.
We loved this hike today. I wish we could have finished it, but after the first few miles it got too icy to attempt in just hiking boots, so we didn’t make it to Comet Falls. The part we did was beautiful and we’d like to go back with the proper equipment. The is some snow on the trail but it would be passable if not for the ice toward the top.
Fun short hike for a family or group looking for something easy. Old growth trees are spectacular and there's a fun suspension bridge that crosses over a stream. The old NPS interpretation signs from the 70s are a bit over the top and probably due for removal, but otherwise this is a fun, easy trail if you have a group looking for a relaxed adventure.
Enjoyed this trail back on October 20, 2018 beautiful views of Mt. Rainier..very popular trail for tourist. Great picture opportunities. Parking and Bathroom facilities.
Amazing trees.
Beautiful. Don't just drive by.
Nice accessible falls.
Great views of the Tatoosh Range at the top.
Nice alternate hike when the clouds sock in the mountain.
Epic.
This and the Enchantments are my favorite trails I've done. I hiked up with my best friend and a duffle bag (lol wut?) full of awful gear back in 2012 and didn't realize what I was getting myself into. Spent the freezing night at Camp Muir and woke up to the most amazing views of my life - you could see Mt. Jefferson, St. Helens, Adams, and Hood. The sunrise comes up right behind all them. Really want to do the trail again and summit the mountain.
this is a very nice trail. climbed it yesterday and its got a great view.
Some of the best views I've ever witnessed. The view when you have Mount Rainier to your back around Panorama Point is the best view on the trail but there's also a beautiful waterfall. Highly recommended!
I hiked the trail yesterday (11/18/18). Spectacular day with bright sunshine. Snow on most of the path with ice at the water crossings. Made it in just my hiking shoes, slipped a couple of times, but made it without going down!! Great day to be in the mountains.
Steady climb to the top. Ground was frozen from about 4000’. Some ice along the way so micro spikes were good to have.
Amazing hike! Beautiful views all around.
Snow and icy throughout the loop (Nov 17) but definitely worth it! I was lucky to have cloudless gorgeous weather so views were amazing. Not to steep but when hiking clockwise almost 2/3rd is climbing upwards, but overall very enjoyable and good trail. Still, took me almost 3 hours because of slippery paths and I did stop to take photos about every 5 to 10 minutes :)
Wonderful hike easy for the kids!
James H. on Skyline Trail
My wife and I drove from Olympic NP in the morning (after spending the week there) to do this hike before catching the red eye out of SEA and we are so glad we did. Amazing scenery with lots of wildlife (we counted 17 marmots) and wildflowers (past peak but there we still some stragglers). Since it was later in the afternoon it was actually pretty quiet and secluded once you got away from the crowds at the visitor center. One of our favorite hikes of the week.
Did this hike yesterday 11/11 and there is definitely snow. I would have loved to have micro spikes with me since some of the parts are very icy and slippery. The views of mount rainier at sunset were insane. I’d highly recommend hiking this trail before the close the road.
Gorgeous
Up to the falls was great. Got all the way to the saddle but didn't get a great view from there. I'm not sure if is actually 3.8 miles but it definitely felt like it was longer.
I’ve done this hike 6 times now. It has to be done on a beautiful day. Mid-summer is perfect as long as it’s clear. Training is important if you aren’t an avid hiker. Starting out at a slower pace helps make the whole hike enjoyable. Bring a large garbage bag to slide down the many trails. You’re on snow for about half of it.
This was a beautiful trail. I went with a large group of CrossFit folks. The ones leading were pretty competitive, so the pace wasn’t great. I’ll set the pace next time and try it clockwise for something different. Also doing it in October, you miss the beautiful wildflowers.