Mount Rainier National Park

Mount Rainier National Park
Sunday, May 29th 2022

We took a day trip to Mount Rainier National Park during our Memorial Day weekend in Seattle, Washington. The national park is a 2-2.5 hour drive from Seattle depending on where you navigate to in the park. The park’s iconic green meadows filled with colorful wild flowers were unfortunately out of season. Most of the popular trails are still covered in snow in June at higher elevations. Hiking these trails is still possible, but require special hiking equipment like crampons or snow shoes. If you’re looking for wild flowers, peak season at Mount Rainier is in August. To make the best of trail conditions, we opted to hike in the lower elevation trails where the snow had already melted. We hiked the Silver Falls loop trail located in the Ohanapecosh camp ground, then visited the park’s visitor’s center in Paradise, next to the Paradise Inn.

Mount Rainier National Park is the fourth national park I have visited. I enjoyed the park’s lush green mossy forests, raging teal blue rivers, and white snow covered peaks.

Silver Falls Loop Trail

Silver Falls Loop Trail is a moderate 4 mile hike in Mount Rainier National Park. Sounds of the rushing river travels through the air as you walk surrounded by the lush green forrest. The roars get louder as you approach Silver Falls where you can witness the power of the water crashing between rocks. People of all ages were seen enjoying the trail.

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/silver-falls-trail

Paradise Valley

Visitor’s Center

The visitor’s center is located in Paradise. Here park rangers are waiting to answer any questions you may have. You can also find gifts and snacks.

Paradise Inn

The Paradise Inn felt like a cozy cabin in the snow. The Inn is rich in history

Skyline Trail (?)

Skyline trail is the quintessential hike to get the most beautiful views of Mount Rainier’s wild flower meadows. In June, the trail and hills are covered in soft knee deep snow that engulfs your leg with every step, making it almost impossible to hike without special crampons or snow shoes. Fortunately, some of the trail was pre-packed by previous hikers, allowing us to explore the beginning of the trail in regular hiking shoes.

Miscellaneous Scenes Around Mount Rainier National Park

The grandiose scale of the mountains, rivers and trees in Mount Rainier National Park is hard to convey in pictures. The massive natural structures were awe inspiring to see in person.

The day trip ended with a visit from a friend.

Mount Rainier National Park is a uniquely beautiful environment with diverse climates based on elevation. The different climates made for a wonderful winter-y June hike. We will definitely be back during peak season to enjoy the wild flower covered meadows.