⚠️ As of 2024, Mt. Rainier National Park has started enacting a reservation requirement to enter the park at both the Paradise entrance (Stevens Canyon Road) and Sunrise entrances between 7 AM and 3 PM. You can find more information here.
Paradise on Mount Rainier is more than just a location—the entire national park is a breathtaking testament to the power of nature. Famous for the gorgeous Mt. Rainier in the center, this popular national park is full of towering glaciers, lush meadows, and pristine alpine lakes.
Mount Rainier National Park, established in 1899, is one of the oldest national parks in the United States, encompassing over 236,000 acres of diverse landscapes. At its heart stands Mount Rainier, an active stratovolcano and the highest peak in Washington State, soaring to 14,411 feet.
With over 260 miles of maintained trails, abundant wildlife, and streams and waterfalls galore, it’s hard to know where to start in this lovely paradise. While you can’t really go wrong with visiting Mt. Rainier in any way, I’ve put together this Mt. Rainier National Park guide which I can guarantee you is absolute perfection!
The Best Time of Year to Visit Mt. Rainier National Park
The best time of year to visit Mt. Rainier National Park is summer through fall (June through October). This is because for the rest of the year, almost the entire park is blanketed in thick snow, which persists even into the early summer!
For the least snow coverage, come to Mr. Rainier National Park between July and September. At the beginning of July and towards the end of September, there will almost definitely be some snow on the ground, but nothing that’s impossible to hike for the majority of Mt. Rainier’s popular trails.
Plus, if you come at the end of July through the first half of August, you’ll get to experience peak wildflower season! This is a dream come true for most hikers in the Pacific Northwest and truly an experience of paradise on Mt. Rainier.
🥾 Read more: The Essential Day Hiking Checklist: What to Bring on a Hike
How Long to Spend in Mt. Rainier National Park
Spanning over 236,000 acres of almost 370 square miles, Mt. Rainier National Park is massive! With the eponymous mountain rising grandly in the center, the national park’s various hills, rivers, lakes, and forests surround the entire region. At minimum, I recommend staying 3 days in Mt. Rainier National Park, and you can easily extend this up to a week with no trouble at all.
I recommend spending longer than you originally anticipate at Mt. Rainier National Park, because the park is rather difficult to get around. Mt. Rainier National Park is split into 5 regions: Paradise, Sunrise, Longmire, Ohanapecosh, and Mowich Lake. However, because the mountain is the in middle of all of these regions, getting between them can take a long time—easily 1-2 hours! For reference, driving between Paradise and Sunrise (the two most popular regions of the park) takes around 1.5 hours.
So if you’re planning on visiting more than one region, I highly recommend allocating an extra day or two just to make transportation easier. I spent 4 full days in the park and didn’t quite get to see everything on my list!
How to Get to Mt. Rainier National Park
Mt. Rainier National Park is located in Washington State, about 2 hours’ drive south of the major metropolis of Seattle. If you need to fly into the Pacific Northwest, these are the closest airports to Mt. Rainier National Park:
- Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA): By far the closest and most convenient airport to fly into. At an 82-mile distance, Mt. Rainier National Park is less than 2 hours away!
- Portland International Airport (PDX): If you can’t fly into Washington, Portland, Oregon is a good second bet. You’ll drive 138 miles by car to Mt. Rainier.
- Vancouver International Airport (YVR): While not in the United States, Vancouver is just across the border with Canada and still a relatively short drive away. You’ll have to drive 222 miles or around 4-5 hours plus the border crossing.
You will need a car to properly explore Mt. Rainier National Park. Most of the park trails are deep in the park and there is little to no public transit available. If you don’t have your own car, I recommend renting a car.
If you’re dead set on not renting a car or just want to explore Mt. Rainier for a day, you can always take a day trip from Seattle. Just be prepared for a very long day!
Best Places to Stay Near Mt. Rainier
The best hotels near Mt. Rainier are usually quite expensive, and the closer you are to the park, the more expensive it is. There’s a lot of lodging near Mt. Rainier, but there are almost no options for hotels inside the park itself. It also depends on which region you want to stay in—for example, the lodging closest to Paradise on Mt. Rainier might be in a totally different location from the best lodging in Sunrise or Longmire. Here are some of my top picks for the best places to stay near Mt. Rainier:
Best Hotels Near Paradise on Mount Rainier
- Gateway Inn Mt. Rainier: Located just 50 feet from the Paradise entrance, it’s hard to beat Gateway Inn. Guests can enjoy stunning views of the surrounding mountains and forests right from their doorstep. The inn also provides convenient access to nearby hiking trails and recreational activities.
- Alexander’s Lodge at Mt. Rainier: Nestled in the scenic Ashford area, Alexander’s Lodge offers charming, historic accommodations near the Paradise entrance. The lodge features elegant rooms with mountain views and a peaceful atmosphere.
- Paradise Inn: Possibly the best and most convenient option for Mt. Rainier lodging, Paradise Inn is within the park itself. The inn features cozy rooms, a rustic lobby, and a dining room serving hearty meals. Guests can enjoy easy access to hiking trails and scenic vistas.
Best Hotels Near Sunrise on Mount Rainier
- Crystal Mountain Hotels: Crystal Mountain Hotels offers a range of accommodations from cozy lodges to comfortable hotel rooms. The property provides easy access to hiking, skiing in the winter, and other outdoor activities. They also have a beautiful gondola that I cover below!
- Packwood Lodge: Packwood Lodge offers comfortable rooms with modern amenities. The lodge is conveniently located for exploring Mount Rainier National Park and nearby attractions. I stayed here and while the rooms are perfectly fine, the service is a little lacking—but the price point can’t be beat for the location.
- Alta Crystal Resort: Alta Crystal Resort offers charming accommodations with easy access to the Sunrise entrance. The resort features cozy cabins and suites, an outdoor pool, and a hot tub.
In high season, lodging near Mt. Rainier National Park can get booked out extremely fast. I recommend booking as far in advance as you can!
4-Day Mount Rainier National Park Itinerary
This is a sample 4-day itinerary for exploring Mt. Rainier National Park. Personally, I found 4 days to be the perfect sweet spot for visiting this huge and imposing place—just enough time to squeeze in as many hikes as possible without getting tired of seeing the mountain over and over (crazy, but it happens).
Of course, you can adjust this itinerary however you like. But in general, I wouldn’t recommend doing more than 2 hikes per day. Even though many of the trails on this itinerary are relatively short, most of them have decently steep elevation gain. Add that to the summer heat with sun exposure and it’ll be more than exhausting!
I also recommend doing either a sunrise or sunset hike at least once, because the changing colors and soft lighting on Mt. Rainier is unforgettable.
🗻 Read more: The Best Hikes in Mt. Rainier: Skyline Trail, Mt. Fremont, and More
Day 1: Paradise on Mt. Rainier
Paradise, located in the southwestern portion of Mt. Rainier National Park, is truly aptly named. This region is famous for its gigantic wildflower fields and incredible views, scenic drives, and hiking trails. We’ll spend the majority of the time at Mt. Rainier in this region, because it’s my favorite—a real paradise on Mt. Rainier!
I recommend starting day 1 with one of the shorter trails in Paradise meadows. My personal choice is the Alta Vista Trail, a short loop trail that only clocks in at 1.7 miles and features beautiful alpine meadows. If you want an easier trail with less elevation, you can substitute the Nisqually Vista Trail instead. This short 1.2-mile loop trail only has 180 feet of elevation gain and still wanders through beautiful wildflower fields.
After getting your first taste of Paradise’s incredible wildflower meadows, drive down the picturesque Stevens Canyon Road while stopping at cutouts along the way. One of these spots is also a great place for a picnic lunch! Alternatively, you can save your snack for the next stop, Reflection Lakes.
The main Reflection Lake in Mt. Rainier National Park is totally visible from the parking lot, so you don’t need to do any hiking if you wish. However, there are actually several Reflection Lakes in the area and you can hike to these if you desire. Mt. Rainier is perfectly mirrored in the still lake waters in the early mornings and late evenings.
After Reflection Lakes, continue on Stevens Canyon Road back towards the park entrance and make a quick stop at Upper Sunbeam Falls. This picturesque little waterfall on the side of the road requires no hiking at all!
For the last hike of the day, take the Wonderland Trail entrance just past Upper Sunbeam Falls towards Louise Lake. I don’t recommend making the hike to Louise Lake itself, as it’s not very impressive, but you can hike for a mile or two back towards Reflection Lakes with awesome views both behind you and off to the side. Note that you need to choose when to turn back on your own as the Wonderland Trail continues pretty much indefinitely, but now you can say you’ve hiked a portion of this legendary 93-mile trail!
Day 2: Paradise on Mt. Rainier
Start day 2 bright and early with my favorite trail in Mt. Rainier National Park: the Pinnacle Peak trail to Pinnacle Saddle. Clocking in at just 1.3 miles one-way, this steep but lovely hike has blankets of wildflowers and 360-degree views almost the whole way up. As late as July there are still sizable snowfields on this trail, so I recommend taking proper hiking shoes and poles.
Then, make a late-morning stop at Narada Falls. The beautiful and roaring Narada Falls tumbles 100 feet and boasts a huge breadth, plus rainbows that form in the water spray. It’s probably my favorite waterfall in the entire park! If you want, you can hike 2.4 miles down to the base of the waterfall, but it’s definitely not strictly necessary.
After having a bite to eat at the picturesque Narada Falls, hike the Bench and Snow Lake Trail. The trail itself is under 3 miles round trip and doesn’t feature much elevation, taking about 1.5 hours to complete. In my opinion, Snow Lake is much prettier than Bench Lake with its crystal-clear water and mountain backdrop! You can bring a swimsuit to dip into the waters, but be warned—it’s icy cold.
Day 3: Paradise on Mt. Rainier
Day 3 in Paradise starts at Mt. Rainier National Park’s most famous and popular trail, the Skyline Trail Loop. This 6.2 mile loop trail takes you through stunning wildflower fields, dramatic mountain backdrops, rushing waterfalls, glaciers, and much more. It’s easy to see why this is one of the best hikes in Mt. Rainier!
Make sure to stop at Myrtle Falls, the most beautiful waterfall with alpine meadows and Mt. Rainier in the background! Myrtle Falls is located just half a mile into the Skyline Trail loop, so you can’t miss it.
After a long hike, drive out towards Longmire and stop at the beautiful Christine Falls. Christine Falls is one of the most-photographed waterfalls in all of Mt. Rainier National Park due to its three tiers and charming stone bridge. We enjoyed this spot so much—it seriously looks like a postcard.
On the drive back towards the park entrance, detour onto Ricksecker Road and stop at Ricksecker Point. This large pullout features incredible views of Mt. Rainier and also has the opportunity to take amazing photos in the winding road! Just make to watch out for approaching traffic at all times and use caution if you’re going to step into the lane.
Day 4: Sunrise Region on Mt. Rainier
Day 4 in Mt. Rainier National Park brings you to a new region, the Sunrise region. Located in the northeastern side of the park, you’ll get totally different views of Mt. Rainier.
I highly recommend hiking the famous Mt. Fremont Fire Lookout Trail at either sunrise or sunset. At 6 miles round trip with 1112 feet of elevation gain, it’s a moderately difficult trail with incredible rewards at the end. Along the way, you’ll pass through floral meadows and impressive mountain landscapes, plus a beautiful frozen lake. The entire route is pretty breathtaking and this is definitely one of the best hikes in Mt. Rainier! We hiked it at sunset, but I actually think sunrise would be better (and less crowded).
If you aren’t too tired after Mt. Fremont, you can do a last optional hike. Emmons Moraine Trail is one of the best kept secrets in the entire park as very few people know about it! The trail is only 2.4 miles round trip and leads to a gorgeous, milky teal blue lake that’s perfect for swimming in the summer. The water is freezing cold, but an icy plunge in an alpine lake is a must-do while in Mt. Rainier National Park.
Wrap up your trip in Mt. Rainier by stopping at Crystal Mountain Resort for their famous gondola ride. This gondola is the only one in Washington State and lifts you over 2400 feet to the summit where you can experience beautiful mountain views while sipping on a refreshing drink. What a perfect end to a perfect few days in Mount Rainier National Park!
📰 Read more: A Cheeky Ranking of the U.S. National Parks
Extra Time: Bonus Hikes, Extensions, Beyond Mt. Rainier, Etc.
Have extra time or just can’t get enough of the breathtaking Mt. Rainier? Me neither! There’s so much to see and do in this park. If you want to tackle more incredible hikes across the many regions of Mt. Rainier, make sure to check out my list of the best hikes in Mt. Rainier National Park—I couldn’t fit them all on this itinerary!
You can also choose to take this itinerary slower, as it’s quite fast-paced. We did almost this exact route on my last trip to Mt. Rainier and we were totally exhausted by the last day.
And if you want to throw in some other destinations or are craving more U.S. National Park action, Washington state has so many incredible places to explore. Try your hand at Olympic National Park, North Cascades National Park, or go for some of the other adventures in the western Washington area like Colchuck Lake or the elusive and reservation-required Scenic Hot Springs. If you want to go even further, you can head south to check out the postcard-worthy Oregon coast or Mount Hood National Forest.
For those tired of hiking, fear not! You can easily add on a trip to the bustling hub of Seattle, explore a picturesque Bavarian-style town in Leavenworth, drive down to Portland, or drive north across the border to Vancouver. The options are endless!
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