Mt. Rainier National Park

Now that I’m back in Washington for the foreseeable future, I’m excited to explore all that the state has to offer. This includes Mt. Rainier National Park, the United States’ fourth national park and one of three in Washington. A friend and I decided to tackle one of the more popular trails in the park, the Skyline Loop. It’s 5.5 miles round trip and sees about a rise of 1,700 feet in elevation. The stairs on the climb up to the Skyline Trail have a quote inscribed into them from naturalist John Muir in 1889: “… the most luxuriant and the most extravagantly beautiful of all the alpine gardens I ever beheld in all my mountain-top wanderings.” I could see glimpses of what he meant, but, frankly, we did not go on a good day for pictures. It was very foggy, but it was still good to get our legs moving and some fresh air in our lungs.

Beyond the incredible views, there was lots of active wildlife. The chipmunks in the park have no fear. At every resting point where there was a gathering of people, they’d be weaving between and investigating hiking boots, backpacks, and any snacks that may have been left on the ground.

Here are some of the views from the trail.

Since we traveled the trail clockwise, Myrtle Falls was the last attraction we saw. The sixty foot waterfall has a braided cascade - a bit different from the waterfalls in Iceland.

After walking away from Myrtle Falls, I knew we were only about half a mile from the car. Little did I know, it would take more than thirty minutes. A black bear was meandering around the trail, and two park rangers were keeping visitors at a distance. Finally, they let us go but asked us to stick to one side to maintain our distance.

This was definitely not a comprehensive visit, and I look forward to returning in either the spring or summer (and hopefully actually seeing the mountain itself). A strong recommendation from me, especially given how easily accessible it is. I also hope to visit North Cascades National Park soon, arguably Washington’s most underrated national park. I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year – cheers!