29 June 2019

Mount Rainier National Park exceeded our expectations. We debated which we enjoyed more, the better known Rocky Mountain National Park or Rainier. Mount Rainier, at over 14,000 feet, is the tallest mountain in the Cascade Mountain Range and can be seen for miles in all directions. While the mountain is the main focus, the park has a lot to offer. We entered the park from the east side at Stevens Canyon Road and left on the west side at Longmire. There is plenty to see and do along the way but the main attraction is in the aptly named Paradise. Because we visited early in the season, snow still covered much of the Skyline Loop. We managed to do a little less than half the trail including Panorama Point and Myrtle Falls. The Paradise Valley Loop Road was closed due to a rockslide which was disappointing but a risk we took coming before Independence Day. Mount Rainier will be one of our highlights of the trip.

Mount Rainier National Park including Grove of the Patriarchs Trail (top left), Reflection Lakes (middle right), Skyline Trail (bottom left), and Narada Falls (bottom right)