Ep. 266: Mt. Rainier | National Park Washington RV travel camping

[@DownsizingMakesCents]

Alice and I watched this together on our TV, amazing beautiful country. We are getting pumped for our trip west in the next couple. Of weeks, your videos are inspiring us to get west. Larry

[@GrandAdventure]

Larry, I'm so happy for you! Of course, after years of talking about it we're heading east while you're heading west. Hopefully Florida this fall. ;)

[@davidcolinstillman5585]

BREATHTAKING BEAUTY COLORS VIEWS SCENERY VIDEO 📹 WEATHER FOOTAGE LANDSCAPE WILDLIFE ! GORGEOUS VIDEO 📹 FOOTAGE CRYSTAL CLEAR & COULD HEAR YOU PERFECTLY. BE SAFE ! HAVE FUN ! ENJOYED 🍨 🍨 🍨 🍨 🍨 🍨 🍨 🍨 🍨 🍨 THANK YOU 🙏 GOD BLESS YOU BOTH ALWAYS ON YOUR ADVENTURES 🙏

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you David, and same to you!

[@cliftonwilliams766]

Ahhhhhh! Yes! Washington State! So much, too much variety! This could take a lifetime of Grand Adventures to see it all! Get to it?

[@GrandAdventure]

You've got that right! Everything from coastal rain forests to high arid desert.

[@cliftonwilliams766]

@@GrandAdventure "Cat", here, Quido! As a former US Army warrant officer helicopter aviator, I am considering buying a Xenon autogyro to continue my Grand Adventures? Look it up on KZbin. "Wanna take a ride?" - Contact, the movie.

[@GrandAdventure]

@@cliftonwilliams766 I did just look it up. Too cool!!

[@BoomKing72]

Marc, that tree only made a sound BECAUSE you were there to hear it!

[@tg569]

Mark you were blessed with a few days where the mountain was out as the locals say. We visited the Tacoma area a few times and it was rare that the mountain was not shrouded in clouds. Great photography. Thanks

[@GrandAdventure]

Thanks TG! We know how lucky we were.

[@uncagedtravels6391]

We have really been enjoying your videos with all of the beautiful scenery, kayaking and nice camping areas. We are sitting in AZ with 100 degrees + and you are showing us snow. I know where I want to be next summer. Safe travels.

[@GrandAdventure]

Same to you, and thank you so very much!

[@montybarbee8128]

Hey brother, again you put on a good showing. From one brother fixing to start his nomadic life in late September, I must say that I’ve found your channel rather informative about the boondocking. Thanks for the information and keep up the good work.

[@GrandAdventure]

That's heartwarming to hear, Monty. Thank you, and happy trails to you starting in September!

[@brookeshaffer4377]

Another well done beautiful and interesting adventure.Thanks Marc🌟

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank YOU Brooke!

[@UniqueAdventurez]

Glad you made it up to our area. We love the Mt. Rainier area as well and frequent it yearly. Glad you found some boondocking down my Rimrock Lake. It is an area on our list to come back to. It’s not easy finding boondocking locations on the western side of Washington. Great presentation of our area. We also like another boondocking location just a bit further west from the Crystal Mountain Resort.

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you! Yep, that forest makes it particularly difficult to find spots. Plus, Rimrock Lake's topography doesn't lend itself to a lot of options.

[@HerSoulVacation]

You are sponsored, yay! Beautiful video and camping area. I’m excited to be getting on the road again soon. I’m going to check out all of your boondocking videos near National Parks as I want to visit them all (and also ghost towns 😃 ) Thank you!

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank YOU Claudia! I hope that you're feeling better, and here's wishing you getting back on the road soon. More boondocking coming up near Glacier National Park in a couple of weeks.

[@joyrogers124]

Welcome to Washington State! Thank you for sharing your adventures. We look forward to each one.

[@GrandAdventure]

Thanks so much Joy! We had a wonderful (albeit brief) swing through your state.

[@Wandering_Kerrs]

Marc, You have always been a great story teller. I remember when you got 100 subscribers, then had to fight to get 1000 so you could monotize the channel. Now you have 72.6K subs. Great job!

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you so very much! It's been a wild ride, and we've been truly blessed to have been able to somewhat break out of the congested RV KZbin space. We can't thank viewers like you enough, especially folks like you who have stuck around since the beginning.

[@2CorgiMom]

I’ve never understood why you don’t have at least 500k subs! Your content every week is so well filmed and edited, and you share info so generously (not all RV KZbin channels share their boon docking sites) Slow and steady wins the race.

[@GrandAdventure]

@@2CorgiMom thank you so very much!

[@evanthayer5374]

I think I was one of your very early subscribers. ;-) What do I win?

[@aponoypi]

always a pleasant video time for another road trip

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you Ariel!

[@m2c2treks]

Such a beautiful area!

[@GrandAdventure]

It truly is. Thanks for watching!

[@Now6674]

Another exceptional video Thank you Morganne

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you Morganne!

[@gorrdd]

We need more mountains! It's too hot where I'm at...🌡️🥵🌡️

[@EmilioExploring]

After watching your video I realize I need to step up my game. Great video!

[@GrandAdventure]

You're very flattering, Emilio. Thank you very much!

[@timothyjohnson8036]

Marc another great video.. Beautiful locations you pick around the country.. I enjoy seeing your boondocking places..

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you Timothy! We love bringing them to you.

[@johnnunez17]

Absolutely beautiful 👍

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you very much John!

[@daviscrt]

Great video. Looks like Zoey had a great time too. Hiking and swimming. Thanks Don

[@GrandAdventure]

Zoe has enjoyed a fulfilling summer, Don, especially as we've been traveling with friends she can harass with a tennis ball.

[@SevenBears1]

Looks like I'll need a month to enjoy that area . Long distance shot of that stream was awesome.. Thanks GA

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you as always, J! Lots and lots to see and do around there.

[@BobKeefe]

Another excellent video! Beautiful scenery and helpful tips.

[@GrandAdventure]

Glad you liked it Bob, thank you!

[@johnhines3591]

Great video !!!! Most RV channels don't seem to go to Rainer. Lived here all my life. We usually camp off highway 410 along the American River. A few boondocking places. Although I've lived here all my life, I can't stop talking pictures of The Mountain !! See it every day from my house. MT. St Hellens next ??? Don't forget windy ridge if you do.

[@GrandAdventure]

Thanks John! Glad that you enjoyed this one. We actually drove 410 while there, and spotted many of those beautiful boondocking sites. It's gorgeous country. No St. Helens this time around as we're swinging eastward, though we enjoyed visiting there three or four years ago.

[@gina50gina]

That is one really big and beautiful mountain! It must have been so exciting when you first saw it.

[@GrandAdventure]

"Oh my God" is a lot cleaner than what actually came out of my mouth. 😄

[@gina50gina]

@@GrandAdventure 😁 I can only imagine!

[@airizonneed1403]

What a great job you did on this video. Everything was perfect. At times I felt like I was watching a Nat Geo documentary. Very professional. I wish you would have been one of my teachers in school. I would have paid better attention. Cheers to you.

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you so very much! I'm thrilled that you enjoyed this one.

[@daveo154]

I grew up in the puget sound below Rainier and am now in Bend Oregon. Enjoyed your last two videos of both areas.

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you Dave! You've managed to land in two beautiful areas.

[@johannadelbusto7987]

Beautiful…Amazing job as usual my friend.

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you as always, Johanna.

[@mickster1780]

beautiful park. and a great place for Zoe!

[@GrandAdventure]

True and true, Mickster.

[@rmcadam62]

Great video. Thanks!

[@GrandAdventure]

Glad you liked it Ronald, thank you for watching!

[@lorih379]

So beautiful 😍

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you Lori! It truly was.

[@earthjacobs9844]

You know how jealous I am right now. So happy you're doing this and sharing with us. Next time in town, ill have to drop off some fresh produce for you. Have fun and only 100 days to Alta opening

[@GrandAdventure]

You know I'll be there, bud! At least by Dec. 1, anyway. Can't wait to share some turns with you.

[@georgecarpenter4126]

Our current plans call for us to visit that area next summer. We are looking forward to it. Stay safe, Marc...

[@GrandAdventure]

You'll love it, George. And you do the same.

[@BradCampbell-bf6kw]

Great video awesome thank you

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you Brad, and thanks for watching!

[@akgobears]

What a nice National Park Mt. Rainier is....Never been to it as ive not been to the state since i was a young man....Was wondering bout bears on that hike of yours ....Quiet, peaceful area...to kewl...Travel safe, be well....

[@GrandAdventure]

Same to you! While hiking through that forest with Zoe I caught myself making noise often to ensure that any bear knew that I was coming. "Here bear, bear, bear!" Still, it's only black bears around there, no griz.

[@davidhillbrand2302]

Once again thanks so much for taking us along on the journey! Washington reminds me of the Colorado mountains but with more lakes!

[@GrandAdventure]

Happy that you enjoyed it, David. The mountains of the Cascades, though, are very different than those of the Colorado Rockies. In Colorado they're high mountain ranges, whereas in the Cascades they're a few massive free-standing volcanoes separated by relatively low elevation rolling hills.

[@torylivingston8368]

Western WA is greener. More rain. Do you have waterfalls in CO?

[@torylivingston8368]

@@GrandAdventure Actually mountains in the Cascades and Olympic Mountains are above 10,000 feet. That is not rolling hills unless you are confusing the area with Malibu CA.

[@GrandAdventure]

@@torylivingston8368 the volcanoes are indeed in that elevation range; however, the elevations between them are relatively quite low, in the 1,000-4,000-foot range: databayou.com/elevation/contour.html That's how they display such impressive prominence. Rocky Mountain valleys, by contrast, are more commonly in the 5,000-10,000 foot range.

[@GrandAdventure]

@@torylivingston8368 wow, you seem to be taking this personally. 😉

[@MyAlexWest]

as soon as summer you are heading to north west!!!

[@GrandAdventure]

That was the idea, Alex, and while we've successfully avoided heat until now, it has caught up with us this week. Especially now that we're eastbound from Rainier.

[@NigelNaughton]

Wonderful episode

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you Nigel!

[@PeeWeeHenson]

NICE WORK BROTHER. WE'LL MEET UP AGAIN ON THE TRAIL, SOMEWHERE.

[@GrandAdventure]

For sure, bud! Thank you.

[@cpwatching5647]

Very much enjoyed your tour. Headed up north tomorrow here. Take care.

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you as always CP, and safe travels!

[@RoamingWithRosie]

Beautiful place. We actually didnt realize just how stunning it was . Now, it's on the list.

[@GrandAdventure]

It deserves a spot on that list, Linda. 13,000 feet of prominence (i.e., the difference in elevation between the mountaintop and the surrounding countryside) is unequalled anywhere in the Lower 48. It truly makes for a breathtaking landscape that's difficult to capture with a camera.

[@nationalparksprincess3216]

Great Video Mark!

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you Donaleanne!

[@terryevans1976]

Great video. I'll be camping at White Pass this week.

[@GrandAdventure]

Enjoy! It's a beautiful area.

[@laughingram7287]

Even having lived up in the Seattle area for sixteen years, one never got tired of seeing Mount Rainier. It is so impressive! We always came in from the west side going to Paradise; you’re not kidding about the trees - it’s like having a green wall on both sides of the road. Then one comes around the corner and BOOM! There’s Mount Rainier!! I liked the way you came in on the road that was closed; it seemed more scenic. Thanks Marc, Ram 👍🏼👍🏽

[@GrandAdventure]

Thanks Ram! Great to see you both for the first time in a while. Yes, that Stevens Canyon Road was a far more scenic approach to Paradise, IMO.

[@mccarthy7566]

WE LOVE MT RAINIER!! I'm embarrassed to say, we have never explored from the east. Guilty of flying in to SeaTac and going to Paradise. I climbed it twice in my younger days. Now, my 17 year old son wants me to take him there next year to climb it again. Yikes, I'll have to get my 56 year old body in shape. Great cinematography in this episode Marc!

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you Pete! And we look forward to hearing of you summiting for a third time.

[@chriswalther1599]

Get after it. Just think about the everlasting memory you and your child would have from that kinda trip. Can’t died in Vietnam. Good luck if you do go to climb it.

[@marychristie6194]

We live in the Seattle metro area and I love going to Mt Rainier -On a sunny day, the thrill of seeing Mt Rainier towering over the Seattle metro area and beyond is still a thrill ❤️🚌🇺🇸

[@GrandAdventure]

Some day we hope to enjoy that view ourselves. Thanks so much for watching!

[@suzannesnuggs4964]

Ha! We found out trees are loud a couple years ago while camping in North Cascades National Park. Had several that came down all around us and one across our picnic table. Too close for comfort 😱

[@GrandAdventure]

Oh wow! Happy to hear that they missed anything important.

[@skpjoecoursegold366]

great photography Marc. I wish I had gotten to that part of Wash.

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you Joe! Personally we never regret leaving things on the table, for it just provides a reason to return someday.

[@Thetravelinmillers]

Mt. Rainier is one of my absolute favorite places of all!!! Paradise gave me goosebumps on my arms and tears in my eyes. We hiked it and could see all 5 volcanoes at one time. It was so incredible! Love your videos and I make notes while watching so thank you!

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank YOU for watching, Jennifer! It's one amazingly huge massif.

[@CowboyBikerAdventures]

Hi Marc, great video. Sorry I missed the premiere. Thank you for all the info and insights since I will be there filming August 6 to 15. Thanks again. Don

[@GrandAdventure]

You're going to love it there, Don. Safe travels and we'll catch you live one of these subsequent weeks!

[@CowboyBikerAdventures]

@@GrandAdventure Yes Marc, ty.

[@TomSpurlock]

Nice video Marc. We'll be there in 4 days, we're currently camping in Kennewick, WA.

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you Tom! We're quite certain that you'll enjoy visiting Rainier as much as we did.

[@garymann5998]

Great video Marc, never seen or knew that much about Mt Ranier, what a beautiful area, you guys have another great camping place, Zoey sure loves the water, lolol, ... have you heard any news about your new truck lately, travel safe.

[@GrandAdventure]

Glad you enjoyed it Gary, thank you! Unfortunately, nothing but radio silence from Ford. Looks like I'm getting a 2023. 😄 We've been deliberately remaining within striking distance of the dealership in Utah up until now, but I've given up on that and we're going to be heading east. If it comes in before December they'll just have to hold it until we get back.

[@2CorgiMom]

Mount Rainier is such a beautiful area. I live in western Washington and shamefully haven’t been down to experience her in awhile. I was on the Edmonds ferry just yesterday and she was showing off herself proudly on our clear summer day! I got a great photo, taken across the water to the mountain. Thanks for the great video, and as always, your great choice in background soundtrack!

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank YOU as always, Steph! We love having you along, and we can believe that view of Rainier from the ferry must've been gorgeous.

[@jameswalker9002]

We visited Mt. Rainier last summer during the heat wave. Rivers were raging. Small man bridges washed out. We went to visitor's center hoping for relief from the heat but it was hot even at that altitude. Even still, we enjoyed our visit. Thanks for the video.

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you for watching, James! When that heat wave hit last year it reached 114ºF in Portland and close to that in Seattle. When an anomaly like that happens it's hard to escape high temps even at relative altitude. Plus, don't forget that the roads on Rainier only reach 5000-6000 feet.

[@gorrdd]

Thanks Marc. I noticed that it is hard to really get perspective on how massive some of these mountains are. I remember this from skiing Chamonix. The valley between the mountains is around 20 miles wide but the mountains themselves are so massive that the valley only looks like it might be a couple of miles across. You don't get the sense that something is not as it appears until you hear a boulder crashing down the mountainside across the valley. You hear this huge thundering crashing sound right in front of you but you don't see a thing. I remember asking the ski guide where the sound was coming from. He pointed up toward the side of the mountain and said you see that little thing trickling down the mountain side. That is a massive boulder the size of an apartment building. Then it dawned on me that if that is the actual size of that grain trickling down... then it is indeed around 15-20 miles away. What you eyes see and what your ears hear do not compute. The whole thing seems delusional at that point. And you stop trusting in your sense of dimension. There was one scene where you shot video driving along the ridge of a mountain and the perspective of the massive sizes started to reveal themselves. Nice shot to catch that. If your were to get on top of Mt. Rainier, it would be so big that everything else around it would seem dwarfed. When you see the summit from a distance it looks like just another knob on the skyline. That ain't no knob! Gord

[@GrandAdventure]

Very well stated, Gord. It gives us an extra challenge, too, to try to share that scale and scope with our viewers. One place that I think we succeeded was showing the canyon carved by the Nisqually River. That's frighteningly huge, yet when you pause for a moment you realize that's just one little runnel of many descending the flanks of Rainier.

[@gorrdd]

@@GrandAdventure Exactly, Marc... and I believe that's the scene I was referring to. It's like you have to move around and allow the perspective to change in order capture more of the dimension... comparing one thing with another until your mind goes... "Wait a minute!" Gord

[@GrandAdventure]

@@gorrdd nailed it.

[@gorrdd]

@@GrandAdventure I meant to say, "perspective". I edited it. Swype sometimes smears... Gord

[@GrandAdventure]

@@gorrdd LOL, it does. I figured it out.

[@rvtravelstayplay8154]

I’m in the Seattle area about 5 times a year, and on clear days Mt. Rainier is breath taking in its majesty !

[@GrandAdventure]

We've seen those photos of Rainier looming over the city, but haven't yet had the opportunity to experience that ourselves.

[@magicworldbyjorg]

..cool video keep up the great content.. Thank you…

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank YOU Jörg!

[@magicworldbyjorg]

@@GrandAdventure Thank you very mutch... have a nice day.... see you….

[@CompetaJohn]

Another great video, Marc. We love being able to see these beautiful locations of your country. A great looking boondocking spot, too. Zoe seemed very happy with it. Many thanks for sharing it with us. 👍

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you as always John! We're very happy to be able to bring you along.

[@AVisceralLife]

Looking forward to getting out to Mount Rainier in September 2023! It has been about 40 years since I visited there!

[@GrandAdventure]

Sounds like you're overdue for a visit! Enjoy it as we're sure you will.

[@reneepowell8541]

Thanks for another great video Marc! It's been some time since I was there, but I'll never forget the jaw dropping beauty of Stevens Canyon and the views of Rainier from all the different perspectives. Safe travels!

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you very much Renee, and same to you! Rainier certainly leaves an impression.

[@bertkelly7650]

Another fine one Mark! We don't get to see this kind of stuff on the east coast. What we call mountains of 1600 ft are your little bumps. Thanks for showing!

[@GrandAdventure]

As a New England native, Bert, I understand what you're saying. However, every corner of this nation has beauty to share. FYI we'll be on the East Coast before this season is over.

[@hoss1003]

I guess you've never been to Mt. Mitchell NC, sitting at almost 7000 feet. One of the oldest Mountains on Earth.

[@bertkelly7650]

@@hoss1003 No. thanks for sharing. I'll go tomorrow.

[@GrandAdventure]

@@hoss1003 I have, actually. And climbed and skied Mt. Washington, NH at 6,288 feet, as well as several other 5,000-footers in NH and countless 4,000-footers across NH, VT and NY. Nothing, however, compares with 13,000 feet of prominence. Mitchell's prominence is 6,089′, which is commonplace anywhere in the West.

[@kurtschulmeyer1041]

Such a gorgeous area! Love mountains and big trees. Stay safe.

[@GrandAdventure]

You'll find both there in spades, Kurt. Safe travels to you as well.

[@spankyagent007]

Thank you for your awesome videos. You do such an amazing job. Always looking forward to the next one.

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank YOU for such an awesome comment! We sincerely appreciate all of you.

[@scottduffy808]

Hello Marc what a beautiful camp spot! Did you find that spot on the Dyrt pro?

[@GrandAdventure]

In a sense we did, Scott. We used The Dyrt PRO's public land map layers to verify USFS boundaries, then used satellite imagery to identify potential spots with enough open sky to utilize solar and Starlink. That produced a set of map pins to explore once we arrived in the area.

[@cyndihuffman419]

Love your videos! Would be awesome if you could include your GPS coordinates for where you stay. We always like to save them under Google maps. Couldn’t really locate this one on it and have had trouble with a few others. Thanks and happy traveling!

[@GrandAdventure]

We actually always do, Cyndi. You'll find a Google Maps pin right in the KZbin video description. Additionally, you'll find an interactive Google Map of all of our travel episodes with precise pinpointing of our campsites at GrandAdventure.tv. Thanks so much for watching!

[@cyndihuffman419]

@@GrandAdventure awesome! I found it!! Thanks so much. We look forward to boondocking more and you always find some great spots!

[@jordancook1668]

I couldn’t help but notice your campsite is not shown on the Dyrt. I see this all the time among people who have videos sponsored by them, same with Campendium. So how’d you really find it?

[@GrandAdventure]

We did indeed use The Dyrt's pro maps to find this spot, Jordan. Our campsite in this episode may not be listed there as a site, but the map layers allow us to identify public land map boundaries, in this case USFS. Then switching to satellite view, it's fairly obvious to find established boondocking sites. That gave us a list to choose from before even arriving in the area to scout.

[@lorimadden9672]

Marc. Can you do any tent camping in this area?? Or is wildlife really heavy ?? Thanks Lori

[@GrandAdventure]

Plenty of tent camping available, Lori. In fact you'll find more sites available for a tent or small van, due to the forested nature of the area. There's no reason that wildlife should interfere with that at all.

[@moretoliving2236]

Flood or no flood... a 94 mile detour is nothing to write home about. Similar "shortcuts" exist in most national parks. I think rangers just don't want to mess with traffic so they seriously dissuade folk from even thinking about it. One such shortcut here on the east coast allows you to get from Smokey National Park to Tail of Dragon without having to drive 65 miles one way or 125 miles another way. I remember in 2013 when I went to visit Yellowstone... road repairs basically took 20 mile trips and made them a 3 hour exercise IF you got lucky.

[@GrandAdventure]

Road repairs or not, visitation in Yellowstone long ago rendered any concept of drive times useless. Throw in a bear jam or bison jam, and any sense of planning becomes futile.

[@angelychristine]

Hi Marc! Were you able to tow your RV through the forest road detour (25) to paradise? I’m planning on driving a class C 25’ RV into the park and wanted to try the detour. Thanks!

[@GrandAdventure]

I did it without the trailer, but you would have no problem in your rig. It's a little rough, not too narrow, and not overly curvy in most sections.

[@angelychristine]

@@GrandAdventure awesome! Thank you for being a resource! Your video was super helpful!

[@GrandAdventure]

@@angelychristine we're very happy to hear that, thank you.

[@paulywally1957]

Did it cost to spend the night there where you did in this video you don't talk about the cost of staying overnight you say boondocking but does that mean free?

[@GrandAdventure]

It was free, Paul. Because we consider boondocking to be dispersed camping on public land, and not dry camping in a dry campground, as far as we're concerned it's always free unless the area requires a paid permit to access.

[@empowrdfoods5197]

💪 🏔 🏕

[@hoss1003]

You need to change your channel name to, Grand Adventures with Homie at Large.. brought to you by Dyrt. Look, I love your channel but, you're starting to sound like a broken record.

[@GrandAdventure]

Two more episodes with Homie, then we go our separate ways.

[@joemiles6917]

As always you do a great job.

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you as always, Joe!