Aug 05 2026
Washington is home to three national parks, and together they protect an extraordinary cross-section of the Pacific Northwest. Mount Rainier National Park surrounds the highest mountain in the Cascade Range and some of the most celebrated wildflower meadows in America. Olympic National Park combines glacier-covered mountains, temperate rain forests, old-growth forests, lakes, rivers, and more …
Sep 26 2024
Mount Rainier National Park is best known for its enormous glacier-covered volcano, but the mountain is also the center of a remarkably diverse wildlife ecosystem. Black bears forage in forests and berry-filled meadows, elk move through valleys and open slopes, hoary marmots whistle from rocky meadows, and mountain goats navigate cliffs high above the park’s …
Sep 24 2024
Mount Rainier National Park contains hundreds of miles of hiking trails ranging from gentle forest walks to demanding alpine routes beneath glaciers and snowfields. Trails climb through wildflower meadows at Paradise, traverse rocky ridges above Sunrise, follow glacier-fed rivers through old-growth forest, and connect remote wilderness camps on the 93-mile Wonderland Trail. The enormous volcano …
Sep 24 2024
Mount Rainier National Park is one of the finest places in the Pacific Northwest to see summer wildflowers. Each year, as deep mountain snow finally retreats, subalpine meadows burst into color beneath the enormous glacier-covered volcano. Lupines, paintbrush, avalanche lilies, bistort, asters, monkeyflowers, and dozens of other species transform slopes that may have been buried …
Sep 24 2024
Mount Rainier National Park is filled with waterfalls created by one of the most water-rich mountain landscapes in the Pacific Northwest. Snowfields, glaciers, heavy winter snowfall, mountain streams, and steep volcanic terrain combine to send water cascading from cliffs and racing through forested gorges throughout the park. Some waterfalls are remarkably easy to reach. Christine …
Sep 24 2024
The Skyline Trail is one of the signature hikes in Mount Rainier National Park. Beginning at Paradise, the route climbs through famous wildflower meadows toward Panorama Point, where sweeping views extend across glaciers, valleys, and several of the great volcanoes of the Pacific Northwest. The trail is not particularly long, but it is steep enough …
Jul 04 2024
Mount Rainier National Park protects one of the most recognizable landscapes in the Pacific Northwest, centered on a glacier-covered active volcano that rises dramatically above the forests, valleys, and cities of western Washington. At 14,410 feet, Mount Rainier is the highest mountain in the Cascade Range and towers so far above the surrounding terrain that …
