Impressive. Awe inspiring. Simply massive. What I find most perplexing about Mt. Rainier is how close you can be without seeing it and yet how far away you can see it from. It’s a simple matter of topography but it still blows my mind.
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- Mt. Rainier NP park entrance
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- Wildflowers growing along the road in Mt. Rainier NP
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- National Park Service hard at work on trail repairs in Mt. Rainier NP.
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- The fuzzy black thing near the center of the picture was a huge bear. We were really far away thankfully!
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- Brand new and awesome!
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- Wildflowers in bloom! Despite being July, there was still snow on the ground in places so these are the early bloomers.
There are numerous trails to choose from for all levels of hikers, including trails with wheel chair accessibility. As with any excursion into the wilderness remember to stay on the marked trails, carry plenty of water, and be alert for wildlife. We did have the pleasure of seeing a bear as he foraged for his evening snack (probably berries) from a safe distance while we were visiting the park.
Given the remote location of this park there aren’t many places to stay close by. I highly recommend doing what we didn’t do, which is to stay at one of the lodges or camp grounds within the park boundaries. You will otherwise spend quite a lot of time driving.
Park entrance fee is $15 per car for one week. Many have at least heard of Mt. Rainier and seen pictures so I won’t spend much time going into detail, but there is some fascinating information on Wikipedia and the National Park Service site about the volcano itself and the park if you are interested in knowing more.