Exploring Mt. Rainier National Park: Our Favorite Sights, Hikes, and Hidden Gems for 2023

MT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK 2022 (MUST SEE SITES AND TOP TIPS)
Welcome everyone to beautiful and magnificent Mt. Rainier National Park!. Join Kim and I as you take you on another National Park adventure. This was a trip we will not soon forget.
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An Icon on the Horizon
Ascending to 14,410 feet above sea level, Mount Rainier stands as an icon in the Washington landscape. An active volcano, Mount Rainier is the most glaciated peak in the contiguous U.S.A., spawning five major rivers. Subalpine wildflower meadows ring the icy volcano while ancient forest cloaks Mount Rainier's lower slopes. Wildlife abounds in the park's ecosystems. A lifetime of discovery awaits.
Mount Rainier National Park encompasses 235,625 acres or 368 square miles. Of that amount, 228,480 acres (97% of the park) has been designated by Congress as wilderness. The park's National Historic Landmark District includes 2.7% of the park. The park has over 260 miles of maintained trails and 147 miles of roads. Many roads and facilities in the park are only open seasonally. Make sure to check Hours of Operation, Road Status and Maps before planning your visit to the park. The park has five developed areas, with three visitor centers, a museum, and several wilderness and climbing centers and ranger stations. There are three main drive-in campgrounds, and two inns that provide lodging within the park. Where do you want to go?
Paradise is famous for its glorious views and wildflower meadows. When James Longmire's daughter-in-law, Martha, first saw this site, she exclaimed, "Oh, what a paradise!" The park's main visitor center, the Henry M. Jackson Memorial Visitor Center, is located in the upper parking area. Paradise is also the primary winter-use area in the park, receiving on average 643 inches (53.6 feet/16.3 meters) of snow a year. Winter activities include snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and sledding. The road between Longmire and Paradise is plowed, but closes at night during the winter. See the current Road Status for updated information about park roads. Paradise is located 19 miles (30 km) east of the Nisqually Entrance and 12 miles (19 km) east of Longmire.
You might also consider visiting other parts of the park such as Longmire, Sunrise, Ohanapecosh, and the Carbon River-Mowich Lake areas.
With the establishment of Mount Rainier National Park in 1899, Longmire became park headquarters. The site had previously served as James Longmire's homestead, lodging, and mineral springs resort. Although park headquarters are no longer at Longmire, the original 1916 headquarters building houses a museum that tells the story of the early days of the park. Across the street from the museum, the "newer" Longmire Administration Building, completed in 1930, still holds offices for park staff and is home to the Longmire Wilderness Information Center (current park administration offices are located at Tahoma Woods, outside of the park along SR 706). All of Longmire is now designated a National Historic District. Longmire is located in the southwest corner of the park and is 6.5 miles (10.5 km) east of the Nisqually Entrance.
Watch Visit Longmire: Gateway to Mount Rainier for a short video introduction to the Longmire area. The article, Longmire: Designing a National Park Syle, provides an overview of the history of the area. You might also consider visiting other parts of the park such as Paradise, Sunrise, Ohanapecosh, and the Carbon River-Mowich Lake areas.
At an elevation of 6,400 feet, Sunrise is the highest point that can be reached by vehicle at Mount Rainier National Park. In summer, mountain meadows abound with wildflowers. On clear summer days, Sunrise provides breathtaking views of Mount Rainier and Emmons Glacier. Sunrise Point offers nearly 360-degree views of the surrounding valleys, Mount Rainier, and other volcanoes in the Cascade Range such as Mount Adams. These views and an excellent trail system make Sunrise the second most visited location in the park. Sunrise is located 60 miles northeast of the Nisqually Entrance and 14 miles northwest of the Sunrise/White River turnoff on State Route 410. The article, White River and Sunrise: The Captivating Northeast Corner of Mount Rainier National Park, provides an overview of the history of the area.
The Sunrise Road usually opens in late June or early July and closes in late September to early October. Check the road status before setting out.
www.nps.gov/mora/index.htm
#mtrainier #nationapark #mtrainiernationalpark #usnationalpark #washington #travelwashington #travel #traveldestinations

[@raullaeichberger8770]

Hi Jason and Kim...I just wanna say you two are Awesome ‼️‼️‼️ Love your informative videos.You show us camping...hiking...nature...the places on the way... it's so perfect.You guys are my favorite of all adventure video's around.The filming is awesome so crystal clear...it makes you feel your actually there.Keep up the fantastic work 👍😊 Hopefully do a del Norte county video...fern canyon... prairie Creek campground...and their redwood areas.Keep up the Awesome work‼️‼️‼️

[@adventuresofjandk]

Wow thank you so much Raulia. Probably the nicest comment we have ever had on our channel. It’s people like you that keep us motivated to make new videos. All the best.

[@raullaeichberger8770]

@@adventuresofjandk Hey when you're awesome your awesome ‼️‼️ Keep up the great work .Can't wait to see more.👍👍👍😊🖐️

[@adventuresofjandk]

@@raullaeichberger8770 😂

[@shannonparris230]

Love Mt Rainier! We live about 40 miles NW and have an unobstructed view. I am always in aw by its beauty! Our grandkids say it is our mountain. 😃

[@adventuresofjandk]

That is awesome. We definitely need to visit more often. So much more to see.

[@johnhines3591]

a local here. looks like this was filmed around late September or early October 2021, right now, march 2022, those areas have 10 FEET OR MORE OF SNOW !! Only 1 road is open to get up there in the winter. You should clarify dates of filming. Impossible to get to most of those places in March. THE MOUNTAIN has very little snow on it, because we had an extremally hot & dry summer. High temp at my place got to 112 degrees. 40 miles west of the park.

[@adventuresofjandk]

Correct it was filmed in October. Just late with uploads. Not our full time job. Appreciate you watching.

[@dennisheffley7350]

Another wonderful adventure and incredible images shared by the two of you. Thank You!

[@adventuresofjandk]

Thank you Dennis. Much appreciated.

[@youlikemyshorts8039]

Amazing! Bucket list item for sure.

[@adventuresofjandk]

Thank you.

[@steveegbert7429]

Great video! I've been to Rainier several times, sometimes camping a week at a time. As a photographer, I usually try to go late July to mid August for the peak of wildflower season. No matter when you go, there are no bad views at Rainier! One year in late July there was still 3 feet of snow on the wildflower fields at Paradise. Oh, and Copper Creek Inn has good food!

[@adventuresofjandk]

Thanks Steve for watching. Ya we got pretty lucky. Everything just sort of worked out perfectly. That doesn’t always seem to happen. Got a lot of great photos on that trip so happy about that,

[@magicalunicorn5853]

Excited about flowers! Going to be there next week!

[@marenmakesit]

Very thorough and informative! I car camped here last year but that was before I was making videos. This was a fun way to re-live my visit. Thanks! Looking forward to seeing your channel continue to grow.

[@adventuresofjandk]

Much appreciated. We hope the same for you.

[@kennethstarr5545]

Amazing how well kept the trails are! Hats off to the trail crews!

[@adventuresofjandk]

No doubt about it. Some of the best we’ve ever hiked.

[@adventuresofjandk]

Hope you all enjoy our latest adventure

[@haplesstoad]

Whooaaaa...those sunrise photos. WOW.

[@adventuresofjandk]

Ya it was pretty incredible that day that is for sure.

[@lovelynorway4554]

Those mountain are absolutely amazing!! Hoping to come and visit that place one day.

[@adventuresofjandk]

It really is pretty spectacular

[@onesabez]

Annual pass is a must if you're a park enthusiast. I love Mount Rainier. Great video!

[@adventuresofjandk]

Thank you and 100% agree.

[@joelavenburg5761]

That looked amazing! That area is so beautiful. You got some great pictures. Hope you guys are doing well.

[@adventuresofjandk]

Thanks Joe. It was pretty amazing. Crazy times in the world but we are hanging in there. Hope the same for you.

[@funnydaysskylerbaby2569]

Thank you for being so descriptive and details about places to eat, stops and hiking trails..im heading up there tomorrow

[@adventuresofjandk]

Our pleasure. Thank you for watching and for commenting. Much appreciated.

[@stevepechmak629]

Nice, beautiful MT.Rainier

[@adventuresofjandk]

Thank you Steve. It is definitely beautiful

[@emanuela9765]

What a video!!! Bellissimo 😍🇮🇹

[@adventuresofjandk]

Thank you so much.

[@kknenglois9185]

Your video really detil my friend.. Amazing place ❤️🥰😍 Greetings from pacific

[@adventuresofjandk]

Thank you so much. We really appreciate you watching and commenting

[@craftytraveler9238]

Thanks for the beautiful video. We will be there in mid June. We won't be hiking much and we have a dog so we have to enjoy from pull outs and look outs.

[@adventuresofjandk]

Thank you. There is so much to see even with driving that you won’t feel like you missed much. It’s stunning.

[@freerangesquad]

Thanks for the great video! Heading up the mountain today and your suggestions are super helpful!!!

[@adventuresofjandk]

That is awesome to hear. Hope you enjoyed it.

[@oliverjh1281]

Fab video as always guys 👏👏👏

[@adventuresofjandk]

Thank you so much. We had a great time. Can’t wait to go back again hopefully in better shape. 😂

[@Aliii378]

Very nice video, you guys are champions!

[@adventuresofjandk]

Really appreciate that. Thank you for the kind words.

[@torreyance2468]

Im saving your video. Im going in september and I'll need to remember your trail :) awesome video and views. love it

[@adventuresofjandk]

You are going to love it.

[@eleigha4]

Planning a trip. Your video was so helpful!

[@adventuresofjandk]

Thank you so much. You will love it. Absolutely stunning area.

[@abdullaaldark7842]

Great video, you guys reminded me of 1988, I was student then, friends and I we visited this place few times in the summer, we even made a barbecue there....thanks.

[@adventuresofjandk]

That is awesome. Glad we could bring back a few great memories.

[@randywarnock2937]

Eight years ago when I was 62 I got our Pass for $10. and 2 1/2 later my wife received her Pass for $10. The next year it went up to $80.

[@adventuresofjandk]

Guess it was good while it lasted.

[@kayleebeare]

Thanks for being so honest about the roads and whatnot. A lot of travel vlogs don't cover that. Planning a trip out to Washington in October and this helped tremendously to know the roads are curvy and that things may take longer. I appreciate yall so much!

[@adventuresofjandk]

Thank you so much Kaylee. If there is one thing about us we don’t sugarcoat anything. We do this for fun and have zero sponsors which is great. That means we can always just be honest. We appreciate you watching.

[@kadeniskool]

as someone who lives in washington oh yeah! 😅 the roads are long curvy and sometimes on high mountains or going uphill but they go on forever, trees on both sides always haha and watch out for deer running past

[@adventuresofjandk]

@@kadeniskool great points. Definitely watch out for wildlife

[@juliamoore8637]

Hey guys! Awesome video! My fave spot! Next time you go, take the trail loop opposite way, easier on your knees!

[@adventuresofjandk]

Thanks for the tip Julia. These days I can use all the help I can get.

[@alteshaus5627]

Wonderful views🤗 And the sunrise at reflection Lake!

[@adventuresofjandk]

Thank you.

[@alteshaus5627]

@@adventuresofjandk Thank you for this video! We were there in September and wanted to go to Paradise, but the road was closed that day

[@JasonRenfrow]

Wow! What an absolutely beautiful area of the Country. Thank you for all the great tips.

[@adventuresofjandk]

Thank you.

[@JJszhao]

Great place to visit.

[@adventuresofjandk]

We agree. Absolutely beautiful National Park.

[@janfitzgerald3615]

For the upper part of the Skyline Trail, if you’re not an experienced mountain hiker, I recommend a pair of trekking poles. You are right about doing Skyline last if you’re there for multiple days, it also gives your cardiovascular system a chance to acclimate to the altitude. My husband always joked about the restrooms having the most amazing view. I’m always a little amused when people are in the park and keep referring to the summit as the mountain or Mt. Rainier as if it’s off in the distance. The base of Rainier is 100 sq. miles, so once you’re on your way up, you’re already on the mountain itself and viewing the summit. 😉. Probably the best time to go is late July or early August when the wild flowers are blooming, unfortunately that’s also a peak time of the year for tourists, so make sure you arrive very early in the morning, or late afternoon if you’re going to be camping or staying at the National Park or Paradise Inns.

[@adventuresofjandk]

Great points. Thanks for those details.

[@PepeLePauly]

Very informative along with all the great views of the park that you two got along the way. What kind of camera gear are you guys using during your excursions? 😀

[@adventuresofjandk]

Thank you. Nikon Z6 is my main photography camera

[@justineyih]

Stunning view wondering what month was your visit? There’s still some fall color so beautiful

[@adventuresofjandk]

Yes it was absolutely stunning. We were there at the end of October just about a week before the surrounding towns shit down for the winter. Very little crowds that time of year. Of course you never know what type of weather you are going to get.

[@JasonEmm]

Altitude is NO joke if you're not acclimated to it!

[@adventuresofjandk]

So true. Absolutely beautiful hike but it was pretty demanding. Doesn’t help that I have a heart condition. 😂

[@teresakoslosky3053]

Copper Creek restaurant is the best in Washington!! Homemade pies every morning, homemade cinnamon rolls and the most delicious food ever!!

[@adventuresofjandk]

Have to admit it was pretty great.

[@Richard1258]

Great video. What time of year was your visit?

[@Richard1258]

Read comments and saw your trip was in October. We plan to be there middle of May 2023. Hoping roads are clear then.

[@roligupt]

Good information! Where did you get the map that you were showing?

[@adventuresofjandk]

They give it to you when you check in at the entrance.

[@dianemarley955]

Many thanks for all your encouraging videos. The SKY LINE TRAIL had so much colorful foliage color in the last portion of filming it. What was the actual date of hiking that trail!?? TIA

[@dianemarley955]

Just saw your comment below another comment. You said, "End of October."

[@adventuresofjandk]

Yes! Beautiful time to go.

[@magicalunicorn5853]

I didn’t even think about reflection lake sunrise! Thank you so much. Going next week. How far was that hike to the lake? From Narada, how far to the park (specifically Skyline Trail?) I just want to time it so we can get there before it fills up. Tips for reflection lake? Did you hike counter clock wise or clockwise for the Skyline trail?

[@adventuresofjandk]

Reflection Lake was right at the parking lot. No joke whatsoever which was awesome. Skyline trail is very close as well. Maybe 10 to 20 minutes or so.

[@magicalunicorn5853]

@@adventuresofjandk thank you! Very helpful!

[@adventuresofjandk]

@@magicalunicorn5853 hope you love it as much as we did. It’s beautiful

[@dessiree0123456]

We are heading there in April..the park is requiring all vehicles to have tire chains. I was just wondering if y’all rented a car and if so where did you rent tire chains?

[@adventuresofjandk]

We did not need chains as there was no snow on the ground. We were there in November. April seems very late to need chains but I am no expert. Les Schwab will allow to buy chains and return them if you don’t need them.

[@lisadavis2347]

Can ypu please share what dates you completed these hikes. We are looking to go in July 2024. Thank you!

[@adventuresofjandk]

We were there in early October

[@wolfwaz424]

Do I need a pass or permit to enter Mount Rainier National Park if I plan to be there for two days? If so, where can I purchase this pass?

[@adventuresofjandk]

Yes. You can purchase at the entrance gate.

[@erwindaalmeijer4737]

Amazing video, we're going begin of September to Mt Rainier as beginning of our Westcoast Roadtrip. It's absolutely worth to see the sunrise in the early morning. If you two have any tips or suggestions for us (from the Netherlands) .....👍

[@adventuresofjandk]

Awesome. You are going to love it. Our only suggestion would be to take your time. Don’t just rush from spot to spot in hopes of seeing everything. Depending on how much time you have hopefully you won’t need to rush.

[@erwindaalmeijer4737]

@@adventuresofjandk We will starting at Seattle on 8th of September and on 02th of oktober we travelling home from LAX. So much te see; so much to skip. It's our first time visiting the USA and we think it will be overwhelming. A few things we will do: whale spotting on Anacortes;Portland; Multnomah falls; the Pendleton round up;John Day fossil beds; Crater lake; Redwood NP; to San Francisco by the scenic coast highway 101; Alcatraz; Yosemite; Death Valley; Las Vegas; Hoover Dam; Los Angeles. So a lot to do and hopefully we'll manage it.

[@adventuresofjandk]

@@erwindaalmeijer4737 wow that is a fantastic itinerary. If I were to change anything at all I would skip Multnomah Falls unless it’s on your way somewhere else. Doesn’t rush much this time of year and is ridiculously crowded. We live in Portland so we pass it all the time heading to hood river. Everything else you are looking to do is great. You are going to have an awesome time.

[@erwindaalmeijer4737]

@@adventuresofjandk Multnomah falls is indeed on our way throug our Airbnb in Walla Walla. That's our base when we go to Pendleton and Baker City ( Oregon trail interpretive center)

[@adventuresofjandk]

@@erwindaalmeijer4737 ok that makes sense then. Just go early. 😀

[@johnnevers4666]

You might have mentioned it somewhere.... but I didn't catch the MONTH you went to the park. I'm trying to determine the best time of year to bring our family.

[@adventuresofjandk]

This was in late November just before everything started to close down including restaurants, lodging, etc outside of the park. We would recommend summer of course as you have a better chance of seeing the mountain but it’s busy of course. We got pretty lucky.

[@tm.hikingbc5168]

What month did you do these hikes?

[@adventuresofjandk]

We were there in early October

[@innewyork7869]

How to dive it’s easy or difficult? My plan next month.

[@adventuresofjandk]

Very easy as long as there is no snow on the ground.

[@ryansisombat8419]

Hi guys, what month was it you guys go

[@adventuresofjandk]

Hi Ryan. We were there in October just before things started to close down.

[@lynngdang]

what time of the year did u guys go?

[@adventuresofjandk]

Hi Lynn. We were there in November. Have plans to go back up in early spring and try and see the upper part.

[@kuntalengg1]

Could you please let us know , the exact month/time of Visit?

[@adventuresofjandk]

2nd week of October. They were just about to close the park for winter.

[@cdarr2683]

What time of the year did you hike this?

[@adventuresofjandk]

Hi there. We were there late November before pretty much everything was closing down for winter. We would recommend if you go in November go early in the month to make sure everything is still open. Weather permitting of course. Thank you for watching

[@cdarr2683]

@@adventuresofjandk Ok, I appreciate the info. Thank you

[@smitadatta6484]

Are you not scared of the wild animals?

[@adventuresofjandk]

It’s always in the back of our mind but we make sure we are always prepared with bear mace etc just in case. As a nature photographer it comes with the territory but seeing those animals in the natural surroundings is hard to beat.