Mount Rainier National Park
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- Mount Rainier National Park
West-Central Washington
Mount Rainier National Park offers excellent outdoor adventure opportunities for scenic drives, hiking, skiing, fishing, and mountain climbing. Experience the beauty of subalpine wildflowers or traverse the numerous glaciers that help make this park special. There is plenty to do on your family vacation or adventure get-away at this northwestern national park. Check out below for further Mount Rainer National Park information.
Uniqueness
Mount Rainer National park includes Mount Rainier (14,410′), an active volcano encased in over 35 square miles of snow and ice. The park contains outstanding examples of old growth forests and subalpine meadows. Whether hiking on its flanks, climbing its summit, snowshoeing or cross-country skiing on its slopes, camping along its glacier-fed rivers, photographing wildflower displays in subalpine meadows, or just admiring the view, nearly two million people come to enjoy the grandeur and beauty of Mount Rainier each year.
Welcome to a mountain wonderland of dense forests, dazzling wild flowers, tremendous snowfields, and rugged glaciers. Enjoy the fresh smell of trees and soil, the soothing – and sometimes deafening – sound of falling water, and the refreshing cold breezes off the glaciers. And towering above all this scenic display is magnificent Mount Rainier. There are 147 miles of roads and 240 miles of maintained trails in the park. Whether you’re looking for scenic drives or challenging hikes, or to enjoy historic architecture or mountain climbing, Mount Rainier has something for you. Most roads are open from late May to early October–all provide stunning views and access to a variety of hiking trails and other sites. While many visitors attempt to “see the park in a day,” you may wish to concentrate on one or two areas of the park and explore them in detail.
Explore the Longmire Historic District in the SW corner of the park. On the road from Longmire and Paradise, see Christine Falls or Narada Falls. At Paradise, see the Jackson Visitor Center, the Historic Paradise Inn, or hike a trail through the world-famous subalpine meadows. Between Paradise and Ohanapecosh, see Reflection Lakes, Box Canyon, or the Grove of the Patriarchs. Explore old growth forest at Ohanpecosh. Between Ohanapecosh and White River, consider a short side trip east to Tipsoo Lake. Sunrise is a popular destination from July to October. It provides outstanding views of Mount Rainier and its glaciers, and trails through subalpine meadows. In the NE corner of the park, see the Carbon River rainforest and/or Mowich Lake (note: road to Mowich Lake is unpaved and does not open until early July).
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