"Mt. Rainier National Park " a Mount Rainier National Park Travel Page by chewy3326

Mt. Rainier is probably the most dominating peak in all of the Northwest; from Seattle, it's visible, and from inside the park itself, it dominates. All sides of the mountain are covered with glaciers; in fact, with 25 glaciers on its slopes, Mt. Rainier is the most heavily glaciated peak in the US outside of Alaska. An additional bonus are the waterfalls, meadows, and lakes around the mountain; they make visiting Mt. Rainier an unforgettable experience.

During my visit in late June, there was still about 4-5 feet of snow on the ground at Paradise. This isn't too surprising, since Paradise has recieved up to 93 feet of snow a year before. However, this made it impossible for us to hike the Skyline Trail, which I had planned on hiking. However, despite the excessive snow, the weather was good for most of the week that we spent in the park, except for the last two days, when it snowed in mid-summer at Sunrise.

This photo shows many of Mt. Rainier's glaciers. It was taken near Paradise.

After my experience of Mt. Rainier, I would recommend at least a 2-3 day visit, no less. Must visit areas include Sunrise, Paradise, and White River. If you don't hike at all at Mt. Rainier, you've missed the entire point of the park, so do the scenery some courtesy, get out of your car, and enjoy it.

If I ever visit Mt. Rainier again, some things are certain: I'm coming later in the year, probably around Mid-July, when I can actually hike most of the trails. Also, I'm going to visit the Mowich Lake section, since I've head the scenery there is really amazing.