Hiking in Mount Rainier National Park, Washington
Mount Rainier National Park, WA
Hiking in Mount Rainier National Park, Washington
July 23, 2019
You can also find the Vlog on YouTube (see below!).
To hear about a day consisting of: my usual hiking buddy (aka one of my best friends, Lauren), avalanche lilies, meeting fitness goals, an active volcano standing at 14,411 feet tall, and FRESH air - keep on reading!
Lauren and I decided that it was time for our second hike of the summer. Trust me when I tell you we have plenty of PNW hikes on our Bucketlist this year, but we decided to explore Mount Rainier National Park next. I’ve been to Mount Rainier National Park countless times, but I’ve always stayed near the Longmire area of the park. The Skyline Trail was a hike that intrigued me after hearing how beautiful the view was along the trail. We checked the weather for a clear day, and decided to give it a shot.
This trip wasn’t my first time visiting Mount Rainier National Park, but it was my first time going with my new National Park book. So after stopping by the Visitor Center at Paradise to obtain my stamp, sticker, and postcard, Lauren and I began the trek to the trailhead.
Skyline Trail begins near Paradise Inn within Mount Rainier National Park. The trail itself is a loop adding up to 5.3 miles total and is typically rated as moderate to difficult depending on which hiking website you look at (lol). The elevation gain is recorded to be 1,758 feet and the highest point in elevation is at 6800 feet above sea level.
I’ll be completely honest -- the first few minutes of the Skyline Trail hike were no joke. The hike starts off as steep, and Lauren and I found ourselves a bit out of breath as we started the hike (lol!). However, eventually the trail does level out about 0.5 miles in and by then, you can start catching the first glimpses of the beauty Mount Rainier has to offer! You could stop every 10 minutes and still be able to catch a beautiful view!
In addition to the majestic mountain, there was also beauty found along the trail as well. Avalanche lilies were sprinkled all along the hike as well as other types of summer wildflowers gently swaying in the breeze. We also found a couple of chipmunks that trailed along behind us as we continued to trek up closer to the mountain.
We came across the turn for Glacier Vista, a popular photo spot for many hikers. Given our limited time to hike, we decided to save Glacier Vista for another time and trekked forward. After crossing an ice-cold stream (in which we dipped our hands into to cool off) and climbing stairs made of rock, we made it about 2.6 miles later at around 6400 feet in elevation to the clearest view point of Mount Rainier. We decided to take the opportunity to snap a quick picture and debated on whether or not we should continue the rest of the hike to Panorama Point and eventually close out the loop, or turn back.
Panorama Point is known to display an incredible view at 7000 feet in elevation. On a clear day, you are able to see Mount St. Helens, Mount Hood, and Mount Adams. Given the clouds rolling in, we decided to take a raincheck on Panorama Point and the second half of the loop. If we had more time, we would’ve loved to finish it out, but decided that since this National Park was practically in our backyards, we would return another day to explore further.
Despite living so close to Mount Rainier National Park, this was both of our first experiences seeing Mount Rainier that close! The only way I can figure out how to describe it, is that it felt like I was staring at a painting the entire hike. Truly an amazing view! Although we didn’t have the time to hike the entire loop through Panorama Point, we’re definitely excited to check it out next time!
I would highly recommend this hike for those wanting to catch an uninterrupted view of Mount Rainier from the Paradise side. We were told that in the spring, the wildflowers that sprinkle the trail are unreal, and I would recommend biting the bullet and trekking up to Panorama Point on a clear day. Lauren and I aren’t novice hikers, but we aren’t expert hikers either. The trail was bearable for us, but we would recommend to bring extra water and snacks to maintain your energy levels, as well as bug repellent to scare off the mosquitoes! All in all, the view was 1000% worth it, so if you ever have the opportunity, go for it! :)
Annnd that's a wrap!
The views from this hike had me thirsty for more! Now that I’ve stamped 1 out of the 3 National Parks in Washington into my book, I’m eager to obtain the stamps for the other 2 this summer as well. Next up - Lauren and I have Olympic National Park for mid-August planned, as well as the North Cascades National Park by the end of August! Make sure to tune in to my future blog posts and YouTube channel to see how THOSE adventures go! :)
Cheers to living life OUTDOORS!
Gen
