As one of the most intriguing and *potentially* deadly volcanoes in America, Mount Rainier has been on people’s radars for a long time. So today, we’re thrilled to be delving into the wonders of the one and only Mount Rainier National Park!
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This incredible mountain and its surrounding area was created as the fourth national park in the United States! And after our first visit, it quickly earned a spot in our top five favorite national parks.
Towering majestically over the surrounding cities, Mount Rainier is impossible not to love! So join us as we explore everything that makes this park such a phenomenal place to visit.
- Sights to see and things to do on the Paradise side of Mount Rainier
- The best places to see waterfalls in Mount Rainier
- The healing power of nature
- The biggest mistake people make when visiting this park
- Tips for hiking our favorite trail in the park
- Other trails and sights in the area
- What you can’t miss on the Sunrise side of the park
- How to get to the most epic viewpoints
- Where to stay when you visit
We hope you enjoyed exploring Mount Rainier with us! This national park will blow you away, and we hope you get a chance to get out there soon.
Paradise Corridor: The Southwest Side of Mount Rainier
Nisqually Entrance
Let’s start on the busiest side of the park, so you know how to navigate it before you go. In 2024, you need a timed entry reservation to enter the park via the Nisqually Entrance. Always check before you go because this may change in future years! The park is working to lessen summer congestion during the peak season.
The town of Ashford is a gateway town just outside the Nisqually Entrance. We always stay here for a few nights so we can get into the Paradise Corridor before the crowds. Ashford has a few lodges and a campground.
We love the Copper Creek Inn for eating all things blackberry, like their blackberry butter and pie. Wildberry is an excellent Himalayan restaurant. Rainier BaseCamp Bar & Grill has pizza and music; if you’re lucky, you’ll overhear climbers talking about their ascent of Mount Rainier.
The Nisqually Entrance has an iconic arch you’ll drive under!
Longmire to Nisqually Gorge
Your first stop along the Paradise Corridor will be Longmire, a historic area with a few things to do and some lower-elevation hiking trails. Trails tend to be open here even when the higher elevations are still snowed in early in the season. There’s a museum to learn about the history of Mount Rainier and a small lodge.
As you continue driving toward Mount Rainier, you will have the chance to see a few waterfalls. Christine Falls and Narada Falls are just off the main road. The trail to Comet Falls (the tallest accessible waterfall in the park) is also found along this stretch of road.
The vista over Nisqually Gorge is a must-see stop. Mount Rainier’s glaciers create beautiful and steep gorges where cold water pours through, carrying boulders and rocks off the mountain. Nisqually Gorge is a great spot to take in the full vista of Mount Rainier and the Nisqually River!
Paradise
After a little more driving, you’ll reach one of the most popular areas in Mount Rainier National Park: Paradise!
Even though Paradise has a large parking area, the parking lot fills up fast. That’s why we recommend getting an early start to beat the crowds.
Our favorite hike in the Paradise area is the Skyline Trail, one of the best hikes in Mount Rainier. It’s five and a half miles round-trip, and we do it clockwise. Even in late July, there’s always snow that we love to slide down!
Skyline Trail is the path that mountaineers use to reach Camp Muir, where they stage before summiting Mount Rainier. The peak towers over you along the entire Skyline Trail; you’ll feel the majesty of this behemoth mountain the whole hike.
Because of its elevation and length, Skyline Trail can feel like one of the more strenuous hikes in the park. Stopping to take photos of the wildflower meadows is a great excuse to catch your breath and take in the beauty of the mountain. Just make sure you stay on the trail so you don’t disturb the delicate meadows.
No matter how far you make it on the trail, it’s worth it! We think the Skyline Trail is one of the most incredible places in Mount Rainier.
There are other nearby shorter trails with less elevation gain. Nisqually Vista Trail is a great option. You can hike directly to Myrtle Falls from the parking lot as a shorter hike option that’s relatively flat.
If you want to hike in Paradise, you’ll want to plan your trip for mid-July or later. The trails in this high-elevation area of the park don’t typically melt out until well into the summer. If you visit too early, you will not be able to hike in the Paradise area of the park.
Reflection Lakes to Stevens Canyon
Going past Paradise, you’ll see Reflection Lakes, where you can see a mirror image of Mount Rainier as long as it isn’t a windy or cloudy day. Snow Lake Trail is a great, family-friendly option with views of Unicorn Peak.
Continuing past the Snow Lake Trailhead, you’ll get into Stevens Canyon, which is a cool part of the park because you’re cutting through the mountain with a deep gorge next to you. Stevens Canyon Road is a great place to see wildflowers and get pictures if you can find a place to stop along the windy mountain road.
Heading further, you’ll pass by the Stevens Canyon Entrance. Now you’re on the southeast side of Mount Rainier!
Sunrise Corridor: The East Side of the Park
Stevens Canyon to Packwood
After staying a few nights in Ashford, we’ll move to stay for a few nights in Packwood, Ohanapecosh, Sunrise, or anywhere along the Sunrise corridor.
The east side of Mount Rainier is much quieter than the rest of the park. Many people who are making a day trip to visit Rainier from downtown Seattle and the surrounding area tend to focus on the Paradise Corridor.
You can camp at Ohanapecosh, where the Silver Falls trail begins. The Grove of the Patriarchs trail also starts here, but it will likely be closed until 2027, when the National Park Service can fix the suspension bridge that washed out due to flooding.
In Packwood, we love eating at Cliff Droppers for amazing burgers. Packwood is a great home base to get an early start to beat the crowds to the Sunrise area, the other popular section of Mount Rainier National Park.
Sunrise also requires timed entry reservations to access in 2024.
Sunrise
Our tradition in the Sunrise area is to hike a counterclockwise loop to get massive views of Mount Rainier. We start on the Sourdough Ridge Nature Trail and head toward Frozen Lake. Many people hike up to Mount Fremont here, but we prefer hiking toward Mount Rainier on the Burroughs Trail. We like to go as far as the Second Burroughs (after that, the trail is less maintained).
We almost always see mountain goats and marmots at the Second Burroughs. Besides the Skyline Trail, this is the best place to see the full beauty of Mount Rainier up close and personal.
From Second Burroughs, we hike to Shadow Lake along an epic stretch of trail along the cliffs. You can see Emmons Glacier right below you! You’ll mostly lose your view of Mount Rainier from Shadow Lake back toward the parking lot.
The Sunrise Visitor Center and Sunrise Point are also great stops in this area. We love stopping at the gift shop to find all of our Mount Rainier souvenirs.
Heading back south, Tipsoo Lake is a great place to stop. The Naches Peak Loop starts here, though there are fewer amazing Mount Rainier views along this trail. It’s a popular trail that’s well-loved by long-time and first-time visitors alike.
Don’t forget to complete your task for this week! Sunrise or Paradise?! Paradise or Sunrise?! We are posting photos so you can see what each area looks like, and you can tell us which one you prefer – even if you haven’t been there yet! Head over to the Dirt In My Shoes Facebook or Instagram page and let us know!
Links mentioned in this podcast episode:
- Mount Rainier National Park
- Visit Mount Rainier
- Timed Entry at Mount Rainier
- Nisqually Entrance
- Ashford, Washington
- Copper Creek Inn
- Wildberry
- Rainier BaseCamp Bar & Grill
- Longmire
- Christine Falls
- Comet Falls
- Road conditions in Mount Rainier
- Paradise
- Skyline Trail
- Nisqually Vista Trail
- Myrtle Falls
- Reflection Lakes
- Snow Lake Trail
- Stevens Canyon Road
- Ohanapecosh
- Packwood
- Silver Falls Trail
- Grove of the Patriarchs
- Cliff Droppers
- Sourdough Ridge Nature Trail
- Burroughs Trail
- Sunrise
- Tipsoo Lake
- Naches Peak Loop
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Hi Ash. We would like to try to do Olympic and Rainier in one week next year (late July as suggested). If we want to try to do the Paradise/Skyline hike and the Sunrise area loop hike in the 2 full days we have, do you recommend staying 1 night in Packwood and 2 in Ashford or could we make it work from Ashford? What’s the latest you would recommend leaving Ashford to get to the Sunrise parking lot? Thanks!
I like to break up my lodging between Ashford and Packwood to hit both sides of the park without so much driving :)
Hi Ash! Trying to build my itinerary for Mt Rainier in the likeness of you. Question- what is the mileage, and elevation gain of your recommended sunrise hike to second Burroughs then back along shadow lake. We’ve got 3 kids, good hikers, but will be doing skyline trail the day before and snow lake the day after. Would appreciate your input on the doability for my 10, 12, and 14 year old on the sunrise side. We’ll be there AUG 3- August 6.
You can find that hike on AllTrails to grab the specifics :)
Ash – How is mid-September for seeing Mt Rainier from the Paradise side? Is it likely to have snow? Is the wildfire risk still high then to ruin visibility?
Fall at higher elevations can be tricky to predict, but it’s pretty normal to have snow, the later you get into September. We typically shoot for the end of July in mountain parks to try to avoid snow and wildfire smoke.
Hi Ash! we are staying in Ashford and planning to visit Mt. Rainier June 14-16. I know the Paradise area hikes may still have snow. What are hikes you recommend at lower elevations (for 2 adults)?
There are a few more hiking suggestions in this article: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/10-things-cant-miss-first-visit-mount-rainier/. And check in with the rangers when you get to the park. They will know exactly what is open when you arrive.
Hi, we are staying in Packwood next June 2026 and I really want to do the comet falls hike and the Skyline hike. We have two days in the park. Would you recommend doing one hike one day and one the next, and if yes, which should we do first? We’re going to go on a Monday and a Tuesday.
I think the bigger issue is that those trails are likely to still be very snow-covered in June. The first time we visiting Mount Rainier, we went in early July and the Skyline Trail was completely impassable due to snow. If you have your heart set on those hikes, you’re going to want to visit in mid-July at the earliest!
With just one day to spend in the park (and with two kids along who don’t love super long or strenuous hikes), what would be the things you most highly recommend we see or do? I’m totally fine with things being off the beaten path. We’ll be there in mid-July.
Thank you!
I would just pick 3-4 activities in this list!
Hi Ash, we got your itinerary for Glacier last year which was fabulous. Now we are planning for Rainier end of July this year. We got a whole week at Paradise Inn. Do you think we should stay in Paradise and drive back and forth to Sunrise hikes or should we change our reservation and try to stay outside of Sunrise for the second half? If so, we’ll need to compete with other drivers to enter the park. I’m concerned about long lines. Also as of now, the permits are sold out, so we would need to enter before 7 am. What would you suggest?
Any plans for an article/itinerary to Rainier before end of July?
Thank you!
Very exciting! We usually break up our stay between the Paradise and Sunrise sides to cut down on driving. Last time we were there, we stayed a couple of nights in the Ashford area and a couple of nights in Packwood, and it worked really well. When we camp, we usually split our camping reservations between the two sides as well. That’s what I prefer so that I can get in before the crowds :)
Hi Ash,
we have been using your NP iternaries over the last 4 years across Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Acadia , Rocky mountain NP etc. Your iternaries have really helped us plan our days and make sure we cover all parts. Thanks a bunch.
we are planning for Mount Rainier NP Oct 11 to 14. Is this a good time to spend there ( not sure if sunrise and other parts of park will be open) or would it be better to spend it in Olympia or North Cascades.
appreciate your thoughts.
It’s hard to know what October will be like for those mountain parks. Olympic is definitely the safer choice, but if the weather holds, Rainier would be amazing :)