Mt Rainier is a 14,410-ft high stratovolcano in the Pacific Northwest (Washington) that last erupted in 1894. Stratovolcanoes are the classic conical version that some of us built as a science project in grade school. It is incredibly impressive since it rises over 13,000 feet from its base to its peak. The park has beautiful waterfalls, lots of creeks and rivers, old growth forests, sub-alpine meadows, glaciers, and of course Mt Rainier. Snowfall of about 50 feet each winter keeps the glaciers healthy and provides lots of water for the area.
Snow and glacial melt feed the many creeks and rivers in the park. The steep slopes and hard rocks create the waterfalls. As you drive through the park streams of various sizes are seen regularly. A number of waterfalls are located close by the road for easy viewing.
There are 260 miles of hiking trails of all different levels of difficulty from easy to strenuous. We hiked the Silver Falls Trail to the beautiful waterfall shown above. It is a half mile to the falls (then another half mile back) with about 200 feet of elevation change. Joe hiked the Skyline Trail, the most difficult trail he has completed in all our travels. It is about a 6 mile loop, with an elevation gain of over 1700 feet, a lot of large rocks, and hiking through streams and snow. It was a lot of effort, but the great views made it well worthwhile!
Mt Rainier is one awesome National Park and is one of Joe’s favorites. It has amazing waterfalls, mountain views, woodland hikes, and wildlife. However, plan to spend plenty of time there if you want to see the mountain and really enjoy the hikes. We spent 11 days nearby and only had 3 days where the summit was visible. More howevers, there is no good kayaking for novices/lake kayakers, the great hikes are mostly not doable for those not in excellent physical condition, and the weather at the summit requires patience for the great views. Also, unless you stay at Paradise it is a minimum 40 mile drive one way to reach the amazing parts of the park. One final thought: late July or early August is the best time to visit in order to see the wildflowers and mostly avoid snow covered trails.