Last updated: October 30, 2023

Today’s adventure included a day spent with my best canine friend exploring Mount Rainier National Park. Some fun facts:

• Mount Rainier is actually an active volcano and last erupted in 1894
• It was established March 2, 1899 as the fifth National Park in the U.S.
• There’s ~2M visitors each year
• The park is 236,380 acres
• At a height of 14,410 feet, Mount Rainier is the highest volcanic peak in the contiguous U.S.
• About 10,000 people attempt to climb Mount Rainer each year with only about half making it to the summit.
• Mount Rainier is home of two noteworthy glaciers in the contiguous U.S.:
  • Emmons Glacier has the largest surface area of any glacier (4.3 square miles).
  • Carbon Glacier is the longest (5.7 miles), thickest (700 feet), and has the lowest terminus elevation (3,500 feet).

At more than a quarter million acres, this park is no joke. This was my first time exploring such a large area on my own relying solely on a paper map to guide me as there is no service as you navigate the winding mountain roads. But at the end of the day, I made it out and didn’t get lost (Park Rangers are very helpful!), although my map was definitely hanging my a thread at the end of day from being used so much.

White River Entrance

My journey included entering through the White River entrance and exiting the park through the Nisqually Entrance, which; if you take a look at the map, was quite ambitious of me but I don’t know how else to live. 😁 i followed the red path and stopped at all the highlights along the way and am happy to share what I discovered along the way.

The White River entrance allowed me to stop at the ranger station to stamp my passport and ask lots of questions and get my day mapped out (literally!). As always, the Park Ranger was super helpful with recommendations. Other than hiking and Frying Pan River, there’s nothing else to see at this entrance.

Next, I headed to Steven’s Canyon entrance. It was a long drive, but this was part of the park’s experience because there are so many gorgeous views along the way and plenty of pull offs to enjoy the view, take photos, or even have a lunch. I especially enjoyed discovering waterfalls coming off the mountains from the snow caps melting.

Steven’s Canyon Entrance

Once I got to Steven’s Canyon entrance, I got some more stamps and spoke with a Park Ranger who informed me there weren’t traditional National Park signs but they had arches at the beginning of the park that indicated the beginning of the park and the end of the National Forest (a divider so to speak) just a little ways down the road, so I left Stevens entrance and found that arch and snapped my photo because I’ve gotten a photo with every single national park sign so far and couldn’t bear the thought of visiting Mount Rainer without the official Mount Rainer park sign.

After returning to Stevens Canyon, I noticed they had a really gorgeous fall at Falls Creek which is right on the road with plenty of pull offs available to use so you can get out and enjoy (you really can’t miss it).

I continued on towards Paradise Inn / Henry M Jackson Memorial Visitor Center, there were more break taking sites along the way.

Right before arriving at Paradise Inn, there is a large parking lot (which I initially thought was the visitor center) which shows off gorgeous views of Rainer Mountain and the surrounding area. You can tell you are at high elevation because of all the snow. Strangely enough, I was in shorts and a tank top and since the sun was so intense, I wasn’t cold at all.

Paradise Inn / Henry M Jackson Memorial Visitor Center

The Paradise Inn and Henry M Jackson Memorial Visitor Center had more stamps for my passport and had their gift shop open so I was able to snag the park tokens I am collecting from each park. They also had a shop for food, ice cream and coffee. What was especially nice was that you could sip your coffee from the balcony and enjoy the picturesque view that honestly looks like something from a magazine. Highly recommended for a romantic weekend getaway for sure. Additionally, there’s a Ranger Station that reflects the elevation as 5420.

You need to leave out the way you came to get to Longmire Museum and will see overlooks along the way which quite honestly, never get old. By the time I got to the museum that also has another inn attached, it was after 5pm and they were closed! I’d love to to go back to explore this one tiny missing part of my adventure!

That’s it for Mount Rainier National Park, but I hope to have a Part II one day! John Muir was speaking my heart when he said the below.

The mountains are calling and I must go.

John Muir

What’s your favorite mountain?