Easy loop hike. A little bit of up then down then up kinda stuff. Its beautiful nature but really…read morenot much real view until the waterfall. Compared to skyline loop it isn't much. But its easy and quick.

Good hike through the woods. This provides "forest bathing" and good falls. Many huckleberry bushes…read morebut not too many fruit. Reverse hike! Uphill when you are hot and tired ...

This is a great hike for photographers if you want to get both a nice view of Mount Rainier and of…read moreits reflection in the lake. The best time to come here is on a clear day and when the water is calm. You get stunning views of the alpine lakes and of the mountain peaks in the background. I made two stops here during my trip because the wind had caused ripples on the water and I wasn't able to get a clear shot with my camera. The reflection was much more clearer the second stop. Reflection Lakes is located off of Stevens Canyon Road just south of Paradise in Mount Rainier National Park. After parking, head down to the lake to find the hiking trail. The parking lot can fill up during the busier part of the day. The Lakes Trail is a three mile loop trail that goes around the lake and starts from either end of the parking lot. Wildflowers border the lakes in summer which adds some nice color to your photographs. The park asks that you stay on the trail to protect the meadow around the lake. Pinnacle Peak Trail is another popular trail that starts south of the Reflection Lakes parking lot. I really enjoyed making a stop here. It is one of the best places to get an iconic picture of Mount Rainier. There is no swimming, fishing, or boating in Reflection Lakes. But nearby Louise Lake allows wading and fishing. You can only visit Reflection Lakes in the summer as Stevens Canyon Road closes up during the winter season.

Made a quick stop here to see the reflection of Mt Rainier…read more Heard it's supposed to be beautiful at sunrise, but it was rainy during our visit so we forewent the early morning visit. Came around 9am-ish on a cloudy day and were able to see a decent reflection - can only imagine how beautiful it would be on a nice, sunny day. We did a bit of the walk around the lakes, and while the walk was nice, the best views come from the overlooks where you park. Definitely worth a quick stop while driving by. If the weather is good, consider sunrise - you might be in for a wonderful surprise.

A MUST when visiting Mt. Rainier / Crystal Mountain resort - it was the perfect way to admire what…read morethe wifey had just accomplished, running down the gigantic mountain, the ride up is about 10 - 15mins, all worth it!!! breath taking views of Mt. Rainier, do dress accordingly, it was pretty windy and about 10 degrees colder up on the mountain. there is a restaurant/restrooms observation chairs and a beer garden at the top! but the view!!! stunning, the greens/whites/ snow peak colors with the sky blue in the background. as usual parking could be hit or miss, they do have several parking lots but the closest one to the gandola ( the paved one ) is on the smaller side, they have other lots designated by letters ( which also unpaved ) Info on Gondola here: https://www.crystalmountainresort.com/things-to-do/activities/mt-rainier-gondola

Came for the day while friends skied. Beautiful, sunny and gorgeous! Snow already melting - this…read moreis the last day of the season. Gondola tickets $54 each and you get 2 round trips.

The map was a little confusing at first. We did the hiking trails and we're surprised how the paths…read moreare mainly kept up. We loved going out the falls. We didn't see the upper falls but the middle and the bottom. Was a little ways to figure how to get inside the waterfall but was awesome when we made it over :) but there was alot of trash at the bottom that needs to be cleaned like beer bottles.

Really solid place to hike. Very clear trails with varying difficulty. We chose to go to the falls…read more The maps and markers were very clear which was great. The walk to the falls had good elevation and an amazing view.

Mount Rainier NPis such a gorgeous park. The drive up from Seattle was simple and didn't feel like…read morethe 2 plus hours. I was grateful for nearly perfect weather- even with the various microclimates throughout the park. I was prepared for the heavy humidity and the chilli weather. The park was "closed" due to the government shutdown and so we didn't have to pay the entrance fee which was nice. I do however feel bad for the park rangers and staff that were unable to work. We took the route of the Paradise route and stopped at the different viewpoints but there were a few closures. Reflection lake was beautiful but a bit crowded.

Every year I pick one or two national parks that I have never been to for vacation. This year I…read moredecided to fly to Washington and travel to both Mount Rainier and Olympic National Parks. My Dad lived north of the Seattle area for many years, and I would travel to see him. I would always marvel at Mount Rainier when flying over it by plane or seeing it from afar while in Seattle. Its snow-capped peak and overall size are incredible sites to see. Mount Rainier is a 14,410-foot active volcano in Washington's Cascade Range. It is the tallest mountain in Washington State. My Dad never had any interest in seeing this mountain up close, so I made my own trip out here to visit the park and do some hiking. I also ran a 5K that was going on in nearby Ashford to add a little fun to my trip. President William McKinley signed a bill authorizing the creation of Mount Rainier National Park in 1899. It is the nation's fifth national park. There are many cities around Mount Rainier National Park that you can stay in. I stayed in Packwood, which is southeast of the park. I took an overnight flight to Seattle-Tacoma and drove straight to the park where I ended up sleeping in my rental truck for a few hours until the sun came up. Mount Rainier National Park now requires a timed entry reservation made in advance during peak hours. I had got there early enough to avoid having to wait in the timed entry line. I began my day hiking to base of Mount Rainier on the popular 5.5-mile Skyline Loop Trail. It was a beautiful trail full of wildflowers, waterfalls, snow and wildlife. Marmots were running around all over and providing all sorts of entertainment for us hikers. The Skyline Trail begins and ends next to the visitor center in Paradise. At the visitor center, you can grab a bite to eat and check out exhibits that provide some history and information about this beautiful park. I spent much of my time driving around Mount Rainier National Park and enjoying its breathtaking views. The park has four main entrances - Nisqually, Carbon River, White River/Sunrise and Stevens Canyon. I was able to check out several waterfalls while exploring the park. Narada Falls was probably my favorite. One beautiful place to check out is Reflection Lake where you can see a reflection of Mount Rainier in the lake. Longmire is another popular destination that has lodging, camping, food, a visitor center and is the location of the park's original National Park Service Administration Building (which is now an information center). Ohanapecosh is an area in the park that has many campsites. I did make time to drive to Sunrise to get a different view of Mount Rainier. Sunrise is the highest point in the park that is accessible by vehicle at an elevation of 6,400 feet. When I visit national parks, I try to do a hike each day while I am in the park. There are 168 trails in Mount Rainier National Park. So I had to be selective in how many I could do because of time. After hiking the Skyline Loop Trail, I ended up doing some shorter day hikes like the Twin Firs Loop Trail and Bench & Snow Lakes Trail. I also did some hiking in the Sunrise area. There are so many trails to choose from at various lengths and difficulty. There is no Wi-Fi in Mount Rainier National Park. So I had to rely mostly on paper maps to get around. But if you do need Wi-Fi, you can stop at any of the three visitor centers in the park to connect. There are also park rangers on hand who are very helpful and will answer any questions that you may have. You will find restrooms, merchandise and food options at the visitor centers. I am so glad that I finally made my way to this beautiful national park to see this incredible mountain. Hiking the Skyline Trail and seeing some of the waterfalls were the highlights for me on this trip. Flying to Washington to spend some time in Mount Rainier National Park is an experience that I won't forget. I look forward to a return visit someday.

Had been stalking the White Pass/Shoe Lake area for windows of good weather the last month or two…read more(every weekend, it would conveniently be rainy/snowy up there!). Recently I saw the forecast open up for some sunny conditions---during the work week. I decided to make the trip---isn't that what vacation days are for?? I drove up to White Pass, from the east side, with clear blue skies the entire way. I parked on the highway (across from the Kracker Barrel at the base of the White Pass slopes). I slapped on my 35lb pack, grabbed my dogs, and we scrambled up the slopes. I like going this route (vs. starting at the Trailhead) because there are nice views and it cuts down on distance. It's a bear of a workout though! Once on the PCT, it's a nice, fairly flat, and scenic hike---y'know, the usual. Near the new ski run up on top, I heard/saw workers cutting/burning trees to clear way for the ski run (sometimes I wish I could make them turn the ski lift ON, so I could be taken all the way up to the Miriam Lake Basin....but what fun would that be?? I had seen evidence of recent snow every here and there (1-4" patches of snow). Once at the Miriam Lake Basin/Hogback Ridge, I made my way to Shoe Lake. There's one stretch of this big open piece of trail where there was quite a bit of hard icy snow. Camped above the beautiful Shoe Lake. I heard an elk bugling at around 7pm---it must have been south down the hill. Such a cool sound to hear! But it was also scary, because within seconds I also heard something very big plodding around nearby--definitely an elk. It was so close I could hear it breathing. A wee bit scary! (and cool) Oh, I did spy some huckleberries along the way, amazingly enough---but they weren't as good as the ones I picked 3weeks ago. Such a late season! The night yielded beautiful views of the Milky Way, constellations, Jupiter, satellites, and the like. The hike back was nice for most of the way. I saw a herd of mountain goats in the Miriam Lake Basin. The snow/ice mentioned earlier was pretty scary in the morning. The first clouds of the trip rolled in around 1pm...but I was pretty much done. While unloading at my car, an employee from the Kracker Barrel rode his bike to me. He was wondering where I was and if I was ok. Apparently, I forgot to roll my driver's side window up---so it was open for 24hrs!! Everything was fine, but I sure felt dumb. Anyway, probably my last backpacking trip of 2011. A great way to end the season!

In my opinion, this is the most iconic hike in a Rainier. My friend who has gone many times told me…read morethis trail was the one to do if you have to pick, and it did not disappoint. I went on Thurs 7/3/25, and there was still a decent bit of slushy snow along higher parts of the trail, but the whole beginning was clear. They had signs in the visitor center (which I saw after already going up lol) saying that the east half of the trail should only be done if you have equipment and a lot of experience because there was an ongoing avalanche hazard. I ended up just not doing it for sake of time, since I didn't know - but can confirm the west portion up to panorama point is SUCH a stunner. I saw so much wildlife, mainly chipmunks and marmots, but also an eagle! The views EVERYWHERE are unmatched, especially at panorama where you can see mt. St. Helen, mt. Adams, and Mt. Hood. If you go to rainier, DONT miss this hike if you are physically able. It is pretty steep in some points but it smooths to a more gradual incline after a bit of a hard start. 10/10 would rec

Review #1600 My Dad…read morelived in the Seattle area for over ten years. So I have taken many flights to Sea-Tac airport from the Phoenix area. Many of those flights I flew over Mount Rainier and had a window seat. If you have never seen Mount Rainier from the sky, it is an incredible sight to see. Mount Rainier is a 14,410-foot active volcano in Washington's Cascade Range. I just love how its snow cap peeks through the clouds as you fly over it. I always told myself that someday I would visit it and hike to the base of the mountain. My Dad never had any interest in getting up close to it, so I knew I would have to do my own trip to see it. I took an overnight flight to Seattle-Tacoma and drove straight to Mount Rainier National Park. I got there really early and ended up sleeping in my truck for a couple of hours. The start of the Skyline Trail is located at the Henry M Jackson Memorial Visitor Center in Paradise. I was happy I got there early because the parking lot fills up quickly during the summer season. There were quite a number of people in the parking lot preparing to do this hike. The Skyline Trail is a 5.5 mile round trip loop trail. There are rangers on hand at the visitor center to answer any questions that you may and offer safety tips about the trail. There is also a water refill station if you need to fill up your CamelBak. Because the Skyline Trail is a loop, there are two different directions to begin the trail. There are steps just north of the visitor center that lead to the start of the trail. At the base of the steps is a quote from John Muir inscribed on it. I started the trail to the right (counterclockwise) so that I could see Myrtle Falls right away. You can get great photos of both Myrtle Falls and Mount Rainier in the background. I really enjoyed hiking thorough the wildflower meadows at the beginning of this side of the Skyline Loop. I was entertained by a number of marmots that would follow me as I was hiking. They are everywhere on the trail. The Skyline Trail gets a little more difficult the father you go. The elevation climb is 1700 feet and there are some ice slopes along the way that do not melt. I had to hike through a few snow patches that were a little slippery. Sometimes it was hard to see where the trail is. I finally made it to the base of Mount Rainier and had my lunch at Panorama Point. There are a waterfalls on the mountain that you can see from a distance. Seeing this mountain up close was absolutely amazing. You can see the Tatoosh Range and the Paradise Inn near the Visitor Center to the south from Panorama Point. I also caught a glimpse of some mountain climbers going further beyond the Skyline Trail to climb this incredible mountain. My feet were sore on my way back down. But overall, I was happy I finally accomplished this beautiful hike for the first time. It was an experience that I won't forget. If you do not want to do the full loop hike, you can break off the trail and take the Golden Gate Trail back down to shorten your trip. Just keep in mind that Paradise is a day use only area and dogs are not allowed on the trail. After your hike, take some time to check out the Visitor Center. You can get your National Park passport book stamped there and there are lots of exhibits about Mount Rainier to check out. There is also a of couple places to grab food in Paradise if you are hungry.

The best kept secret in pierce county. Finding parking will be difficult on a nice day. We parked…read morenear the bridge but others will park near Fairfax trail. It is about A 2 to 5 mile loop. So if you were to do a round-trip it could be up to 4 to 10. Well you walk around you'll see beautiful foliage, rivers, trees, and scary abandoned ghost town relics of buildings. There are some who criticize this nonexistent town but if you have some patience you will see a lot of the structures. Or even the foundations of them. It is very dog friendly. However there is no water for them so please bring your own. The ground is not very smooth so be careful of their paws. There are no garbage cans so pack it out. There are many locals hiking and walking. They are very friendly.

The bestie and I decided to take a hike with my two dogs. This place popped up on a search. We're…read morein no way professional hikers and this hike made us both nervous a few times. We drove over a one lane bridge and then parked on the side where we saw other cars. Once we got out the car we couldn't tell where the actual hike started. Then we see a small sign that says it's north over the bridge. The one lane bridge? Yes. Yes this bridge. So off we go to walk across this high bridge with two dogs, also my youngest dog is a nut ball. Cars are driving past us but they're going slowly and we're staying all the way to the side. Once you cross the bridge there's a metal guardrail that you cross over. Then the trippy part starts. The actual hike is starts below the bridge. There's these crazy stones that I know they want to say are rock stairs but they are not. They are instead pieces of Earth that love to trip me. There is a metal guardrail to grab onto for balance and honestly there was a time when it held my entire body weight. And we have dogs on a leash to take down with us! What an adventure! I go down and have to convince the bestie to follow. She's convinced this is a bad idea now lol. It's not though, we toggle down and come to a nice hiking trail. We took a left and hiked for four miles before we turned around. I believe there's a town to hike to but we never found it. Sometimes the trail was too narrow and to high for my tastes but courage prevailed! It was all so beautiful! The trees, the water, the sky. I would go again...

Hiked Comet Falls with my fiancé and a couple of our best friends and absolutely loved the trail!…read moreI've only done a couple trails in MRNP but even if I had done more, I could see this still ranking as a favorite. We had a reservation for entry into the park before 9am and hit the trail early in the day to make sure we wouldn't have to deal with any lines. No issues! The trail is almost four miles roundtrip with a little over 1,200 feet in elevation gain. I wouldn't exactly call it a beginner hike because there's several steep and challenging parts, but it's nothing too bad. My legs were a little sore the next day but all in all it was a great workout. The falls at the end are absolutely gorgeous and hard to comprehend how tall they really are until you're standing right next to it! There's a ton of smaller falls along the way and glimpses of the mountains through the trees too which makes this a gorgeous hike pretty much the entire way. Like most people do, we made ourselves a lunch and enjoyed it at the end and watched the falls for a little while. 10/10 would do this trail again!

Oh wow...how has no one on Yelp written about Comet Falls??? Without a doubt, this trail and hiking…read moretowards majestic Comet Falls was one of THE BEST ACTIVITIES AND ATTRACTIONS I WITNESSED at Mount Rainier National Park! What a truly remarkable experience this was for me. I know most people, visitors and tourists would say the main attraction of Mount Rainier is Mount Rainier itself. But this hike to Comet Falls ABSOLUTELY WON ME OVER! I was simply thrilled with the 462 foot plunge of Comet Falls....which then cascaded into another small waterfall. Holy Smokes, when I visited...I was able to photograph both waterfalls (with Comet Falls being the main attraction) all within one entire picture. Seriously, it made for one truly humbling moment! Just some background information I can provide... First off, Comet Falls Trailhead was located literally right off the side of the road as I made my way from outside the entrance towards Mt. Rainier in the small town of Ashford, Washington. From the entrance station, it was about a 10 mile drive heading towards the Paradise Section of Mt. Rainier. Keep this in mind because there ARE NONE, ZERO SIGNS FOR COMET FALLS! Yes, I passed Comet Falls while heading towards the Henry Jackson Visitor Center. But while driving, there were a bunch of cars parked off the side of the road and this got my attention that something cool could be offered here. Along with using the park map, I did recognize the trailhead. In all, I'd say maybe there were only 10 parking spots available. That's how small the area was with limited parking availability. Also, this is VERY IMPORTANT. I hiked to Comet Falls in early afternoon around 1pm in the month of August. When I arrived at the falls in mid-late day....I had the sun at my back going with me. THIS WAS VITAL! Because as you'd expect for taking pictures, this was the perfect moment to grab photos! Absolutely perfect! Yeah it also helped that I hiked the trail on a beautifully sunny day. But coming here in the afternoon time made for the sun to be going with me and I thought my pictures came out stunningly well! Lol, this was so important to me...to not be facing against the sun and dealing with shadows. VISIT IN THE AFTERNOON! More info...Comet Falls Trail is a 3.8 mile round trip hike gaining about 900 feet in elevation. It's not really a hard hike...nothing out of the ordinary...but just so people know it wasn't the easiest hike. Along the way there's not much to view while hiking, just plenty of switchbacks. Right before I arrived at Comet Falls, there was a smaller waterfall area combined with crossing a bridge that some folks may believe is Comet Falls, but it's not. There'll be a clear sign saying - "Comet Falls 200 feet ahead". Still, some people did stop for a picture at these unnamed falls, but they paled in comparison to actual Comet Falls. And yeah when I arrived at Comet Falls, I was completely stunned how statuesque they appeared! For summer time there were still patches of snow on the ground which actually enhanced the surroundings. It wasn't too crowded during my time here and I was able to snap some terrific photos. Also, I easily climbed and got myself right underneath the falls...absolutely as good of an up close view as I could have asked for. I'd say it took me about 3 hours in total to hike Comet Falls. And I spent about 1 hour photographing and just hanging out in and among the falls. Comet Falls was truly special. To be able to get a thrilling introduction to this 462 foot waterfall, the highest waterfall at Mount Rainier, truly gave me the chills I felt quite lucky. And hiking here and spending a portion of the day was certainly worthwhile and one of the best memories I've had since visiting Mt. Rainier National Park. Hiking to Comet Falls is an absolute must!!!