Mount Rainier National Park

Washington, United States
 (12 votes, 12 reviews)
Mount Rainier National Park is located in west-central Washington and is ideal for hiking, mountain climbing and scenic drives. Most roads are open from late May to early October, which allow for both stunning views and access to a wide range of hiking trails and other sites.  Hikers will find forests with cedar, hemlock, and fir trees as well as streams and wildflower meadows. On Rainier's alpine slopes, visitors will find firs, glaciers, and tundra.  
 
According to the National Park Service, "at 14,410 feet Mount Rainier is the highest peak in the Cascade Range. From various locations around the park you can see four other Cascade volcanoes: Mount St. Helens, Mt Adams, Mt Baker, and Glacier Peak. On a clear day, you can see the tip of Mt Hood, in northern Oregon, from Paradise Meadows." (Source: http://www.nps.gov/mora/historyculture/index.htm).
 

Trails

Summary
Difficulty
Distance
Grove of the Patriarchs
Easy nature trail through 1000 year old huge old growth Cedar, and Douglas fir trees at Mt. Rainier National Park.
Easy
1.2 mi
1.9 km
Naches Peak and Tipsoo Lake Loop - Mt. Rainier National Park
A beautiful hike with minimal elevation gain around Naches Peak with an option to visit Dewey Lake.
Moderate
3.0 mi
4.8 km
Naches Peak Ski Tour
Backcountry ski tour to the summit of Naches Peak
Moderate
4.0 mi
6.4 km
Crystal Peak - Mount Rainier National Park
Climb this peak within the Mount Rainier National Park for great views of the massive volcano and surrounding peaks.
Moderate
5.5 mi
8.9 km
Tolmie Peak Fire Tower Hike on the Wonderland Trail
Take this short hike on the Wonderland Trail in Rainier National Park for great views from a fire tower of the volcano
Moderate
5.9 mi
9.5 km
Noble Knob
A nice hike into the Norse Peak Wilderness with fantastic views of several Cascade Volcanoes
Moderate
7.0 mi
11.3 km
Sunrise Rim Trail Loop and Mt. Freemont Lookout
A loop trail on the northeast side of Mt. Rainier to Burroughs Mountain & Frozen Lake with a side trip to Mt. Freemont
Moderate
7.5 mi
12.1 km
Mazama Ridge - Cowlitz Rock Ski Tour
Backcountry ski touring Mazama Ridge and the base of Paradise Glacier on Mt. Rainier
Moderate
8.0 mi
12.9 km
Muir Snowfield Ski Tour
Skiing the Muir Snowfield on Mt. Rainier
Moderate
8.8 mi
14.2 km
Burroughs Mountain Loop Via Glacier Basin
This hike will bring you up the drainage of the Inter Glacier and return you over the broad Burroughs Mountain.
Moderate
11.0 mi
17.7 km
Flett Glacier Summer Ski Tour
Summer skiing at its best on the Northwest face of Mt. Rainier.
Moderate
11.0 mi
17.7 km
Paradise Inn to Panorama Point-Snow Hike
Hike from Paradise Inn to Panorama Point on the slopes of Mt Rainier when the trail is covered in snow.
Difficult
2.9 mi
4.7 km
Mt. Rainier Standard Summit Route
Three day climb via Camp Muir, Ingraham Glacier & Disappointment Cleaver
Difficult
15.1 mi
24.3 km
Guides
Muir Snowfield Ski Tour
Muir Snowfield Ski Tour
Mt. Rainier, Washington, United States
 
Moderate: 8.8 miles, Full day
Skiing the Muir Snowfield on Mt. Rainier
Mazama Ridge - Cowlitz Rock Ski Tour
Mazama Ridge - Cowlitz Rock Ski Tour
Mt. Rainier, Washington, United States
 
Moderate: 8.0 miles, Full day
Backcountry ski touring Mazama Ridge and the base of Paradise Glacier on Mt. Rainier
Naches Peak Ski Tour
Naches Peak Ski Tour
Mt. Rainier, Washington, United States
 
Moderate: 4.0 miles, Half day
Backcountry ski tour to the summit of Naches Peak
Mt. Rainier Ski and Snowboard Tours
Mt. Rainier Ski and Snowboard Tours
Mt. Rainier, Washington, United States
 
Moderate: 8.0 miles, Full day
Explore the snowfields and glaciers of Mt. Rainier during winter or summer.
Tolmie Peak Fire Tower Hike on the Wonderland Trail
Tolmie Peak Fire Tower Hike on the Wonderland Trail
Upper Fairfax, Washington, United States
 
Moderate: 5.9 miles, Half day
Take this short hike on the Wonderland Trail in Rainier National Park for great views from a fire tower of the volcano
Flett Glacier Summer Ski Tour
Flett Glacier Summer Ski Tour
Mt. Rainier, Washington, United States
Moderate: 11.0 miles, Multiple days
Summer skiing at its best on the Northwest face of Mt. Rainier.
Grove of the Patriarchs
Grove of the Patriarchs
Mt. Rainier, Washington, United States
Easy: 1.2 miles, 1 hour or less
Easy nature trail through 1000 year old huge old growth Cedar, and Douglas fir trees at Mt. Rainier National Park.
Mt. Rainier Standard Summit Route
Mt. Rainier Standard Summit Route
Packwood, Washington, United States
Difficult: 15.1 miles, Multiple days
Three day climb via Camp Muir, Ingraham Glacier & Disappointment Cleaver
Paradise Inn to Panorama Point-Snow Hike
Paradise Inn to Panorama Point-Snow Hike
Mt. Rainier, Washington, United States
Difficult: 2.9 miles, 1-3 hours
Hike from Paradise Inn to Panorama Point on the slopes of Mt Rainier when the trail is covered in snow.
Naches Peak and Tipsoo Lake Loop - Mt. Rainier National Park
Moderate: 3.0 miles, Half day
A beautiful hike with minimal elevation gain around Naches Peak with an option to visit Dewey Lake.
Crystal Peak - Mount Rainier National Park
Crystal Peak - Mount Rainier National Park
Sunrise, Washington, United States
Moderate: 5.5 miles, Half day
Climb this peak within the Mount Rainier National Park for great views of the massive volcano and surrounding peaks.
Noble Knob
Noble Knob
Snoquera, Washington, United States
Moderate: 7.0 miles, Half day
A nice hike into the Norse Peak Wilderness with fantastic views of several Cascade Volcanoes
Community Trips
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Tolmie Peak Mt. Rainier National park, Wa
by ant on Sep 08, 2008
Upper Fairfax, Washington, United States
7.0 miles
081018_001b-Getting prepared Photo
081018_001c-Rolling Thunder 4 gang at Corral Pass Photo
081018_001a-Jeff and V\'s pickup at Corral Pass (Snoquera, Washington, United States) Photo
081018_011a-Reg, Clay and me at junction with Deep Creek Trail (Snoquera, Washington, United States) Photo
Palisades Loop (Rolling Thunder 4)
by Moun10Bike on Oct 18, 2008
Snoquera, Washington, United States
21.8 miles
Rolling Thunder is the annual mountain bike epic that my buddies and I try to schedule each year, and this year it took us to The Palisades Trail off of Highway 410 between Greenwater and Mount Rainier.  One of our participants was not riding and he graciously offered to shuttle us from our starting point at the Skookum Flats Trailhead near Bear Creek up to the Noble Knob Trailhead at Corral Pass....
Rainier from near Paradise (Paradise, Washington, United States) Photo
Muir Snowfield approaching Camp Muir (Paradise, Washington, United States) Photo
RMI's Camp Muir digs (Paradise, Washington, United States) Photo
Looking at the trail up from Camp Muir (Paradise, Washington, United States) Photo
Mt Rainier - Disappointment Cleaver
by AllenRbrts on Jun 30, 2009
Mt Rainier, Washington, United States
14.3 miles
This was a RMI guided hike up Mt Rainier on the Disappointment Cleaver route. The RMI trip starts in the morning with a hike to Camp Muir. After an overnight at Muir, we started at 1:30AM up the upper section on the mountain. We reached the top of the Cleaver at first light and summitted on a cloudless, windless morning at 7:30AM. I dropped my pack at the crater rim (leaving GPS...
Palisade-trail_0.jpg (Sunrise, Washington, United States) Photo
Palisade-trail_1.jpg (Sunrise, Washington, United States) Photo
Palisade-trail_2.jpg (Sunrise, Washington, United States) Photo
Palisade-trail_3.jpg (Sunrise, Washington, United States) Photo
Palisades Lakes Trail from Sunrise Point, Mount Rainier National Park
by stuart_a_watson on Jul 16, 2009
Sunrise, Washington, United States
7.2 miles
P7300008 (Sunrise, Washington, United States) Photo
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P7300011 (Sunrise, Washington, United States) Photo
Wonderland Trail : Sunrise to Mowich
by skicavs on Jul 30, 2009
Sunrise, Washington, United States
23.6 miles
For the yearly backpacking trip we had thought about for a few years trying to do part of the wonderland trail. This year after much debate we finally made it. We didn't have time to make advance reservations so we basically took the route the range gave us from availability.The route was quite difficult with day 1 from Sunrise to Mystic Lake, being much longer than expected. We were pretty beat by...
IMG_1586 (Paradise, Washington, United States) Photo
IMG_1588 (Paradise, Washington, United States) Photo
IMG_1590 (Paradise, Washington, United States) Photo
View from Muir Snowfield (Paradise, Washington, United States) Photo
Mt. Rainier Summit Trip 2008-08-15 - 2008-08-17
by james_hanners on Aug 15, 2008
Paradise, Washington, United States
15.3 miles
Day 1: Climb to Camp Muir [CM] 1115 - 5.3K' - Maria and I depart Paradise Visitor's Center.1800 - 10.1K' - Arrive at CM; camp overnight. Day 2: Move the camp from CM to Ingraham Flats [IF] at 11K'.1245 - 10K' - Depart CM.1430 - 11K' - Arrive IF; camp and boil water.  Lots of water.2230 - 11K' - Andrew and Artemis join us at IF. Day 3: Go for the summit. Ascent:0115 - 11K' -...
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Sun-Top_1.jpg Photo
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Sun Top
by Scott Matual on Aug 08, 2009
Snoquera, Washington, United States
20.3 miles
Awesome ride. Hooked up w/ Muffgarden, B Jones, the Snowman, and Crazy D for another weekend freeride adventure! Burly climb that goes forever. Then when you think you're done, another 2 miles or so of pretty tough single track climbing. Then the sweetest descent on the flowy stuff that is really, really good. When you gets to the bottom, don't get all cocky and jump into the race that's happening, but pull...
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Tatoosh Ridge (Overnight) - 20091009
by nedurnan on Oct 09, 2009
Packwood, Washington, United States
11.4 miles
Condition of Access Road (5270): The access road was in pretty good shape for the most part. There are sections that have significant potholes, and one or two places with some serious ruts, however. At the Butter Creek bridge, there is a sign posted that reads "CAUTION - HOLE AT END OF BRIDGE". While a careful driver could probably make it up there in a compact 2wd car, something with decent ground clearance and suspension is highly recommended! Trail...
cardio slope (hdr) (Paradise, Washington, United States) Photo
IMG_3189 (Paradise, Washington, United States) Photo
somewhere above pebble creek (Paradise, Washington, United States) Photo
whiteout (Paradise, Washington, United States) Photo
Mt. Rainier - Paradise to Muir - 2009-02-14
by james_hanners on Feb 14, 2009
Paradise, Washington, United States
7.0 miles
Didn't make it all the way to Muir.  I've been slacking on my workouts, so I was moving slowly and there was a nasty bit of weather coming in.  Of course, by the time I descended to 6K', the skies were clear.
Last Minute Packing (Paradise, Washington, United States) Photo
Getting Ready (Nisqually Vista, Washington, United States) Photo
Steve's Ready! (Paradise, Washington, United States) Photo
Nathan All Packed (Paradise, Washington, United States) Photo
Mount Rainier (Nathan and Steve)
by nedurnan on Jun 13, 2007
Nisqually Vista, Washington, United States
8.2 miles
Steve and I were supposed to meet Tim up at Camp Muir, but apparently something came up and he had to leave before we got there. So instead of chancing a 2-man summit attempt, we just headed up to Camp Muir, spent the night, and came back the next day.

Reviews
andrewquamme
This was the most awesome place I've ever eaten lunch!
Visited on Sep 24, 2011

by andrewquamme on Dec 31, 2011 at 10:54:38 pm
Sasquish
Hiked from Paradise to McClure Rock via the standard route & skied back down in the evening. Originally went with the idea of camping at Muir & skiing down in the morning but I was not convinced the weather would hold and I had a snowshoe that kept breaking...so I turned around and skied down at sunset. The sights were spectacular as usual and the overall experience stunning, but the actual ski conditions were horrible. If I had started down an hour earlier they would have been fine but it had cooled just enough to form a nasty crust that required me to jump turn; a rather difficult prospect with a full pack.
The snow pack is outrageous this year and I predict good skiing on that route through most of the summer. Watch & read the Muir Snowfield Ski Tour by DRTELEMARK for an excellent description of this route.
Pay VERY close attention to where you are on the way down! If the clouds roll in even for a brief moment, it's easy to veer off course & end up over cliff bands or on the Paradise or Nisquali glaciers. Don't trust other people's tracks. I highly recommend tracking your ascent via GPS and referring to it carefully on the way down if there are any visibility problems at all. And remember, clouds can form on that mountain at ANY time no matter what the rest of the world around you might look like. I've been up there on a hot summer day where I could see a hundred miles and had freezing clouds form around me in minutes.

Visited on May 09, 2011

by Sasquish on May 17, 2011 at 04:09:36 am
zahody
Highly recommend that one put the Wonderland Trail on one's bucket list. It will take Mon thru Fri at apx 20 miles a day. Also, for a day hike, one of the best is Comet Falls. But don't stop at the foot of the falls, look off to the right, and there is a trail that goes veritical and ends up at the top of Comet Falls. Olympic National Park is far more isolated than Mt Rainier NP, so if one has time, hike and trek there also. It is tough for day hiking since it takes so long to get to trailheads both from Seatle or from the South Sound (Tacoma, Fort Lewis, Olympia, etc). This is the land of volcanos: Mount Adams, Rainier, Baker, St. Helens, etc.
Visited on May 01, 2011

by zahody on May 14, 2011 at 10:54:27 pm
dsherman
Bring a GPS for backcountry winter travel!
Visited on Feb 18, 2011

by dsherman on Feb 24, 2011 at 03:07:50 pm
ryanfrei
I've been to Mt Rainier multiple times. The last trip was snowshoeing on the Mowich Lake road. It was an awesome trip.
Visited on Dec 30, 2010

by ryanfrei on Apr 15, 2011 at 01:14:57 pm
jariggen
Paradise Area has lots of trails but accommodations are expensive
Cle Elum area has many options (directional) for hikes and accommodations at Cle Elum are reasonable
Packwood area has fantastic trails and accommodations are very reasonable

Visited on Sep 15, 2010

by jariggen on Mar 13, 2011 at 03:49:23 pm
jccossette
Great family trip in the Fall when the leaves are bright red and yellow with the white, snow clad mountain looming above. Take a picnic lunch but watch out for the birds!
Visited on Sep 10, 2010

by jccossette on Sep 04, 2011 at 11:52:24 pm
gluecklichinkassel
Great place to travel!
Visited on Aug 17, 2010

by gluecklichinkassel on Jun 05, 2011 at 02:49:43 am
jonbellemore
Visited on Aug 07, 2009

by jonbellemore on Dec 16, 2010 at 02:49:33 pm
skicavs
Fantastic weather and gorgeous scenery. The camping regulations there are quite strict and a few of the camping areas resemble parking lots but the nature is great.
Visited on Jul 30, 2009

by skicavs on Jan 24, 2011 at 06:24:00 am
robinfairchild
The ultimate experience - getting to the top. If you go you'll never forget it.
Visited on Aug 10, 2003

by robinfairchild on Oct 23, 2011 at 10:00:12 pm
hcMotoMan
Awesome forest and great public hiking areas.

by hcMotoMan on Aug 15, 2011 at 02:16:05 pm

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Rainier, longmier, high point, Seattle, Mt. Rainier, snow, mt mount rainier carbon glacier river isput falls suspension bridge, Disappointment Cleaver, Pacific Crest Trail, Mount Rainier National Park, Snowshoe, Sunrise, Clover Lake, Carbon Glacier, paradise, Wonderland, washington, Mountain biking, Pacific Northwest, Naches

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