We absolutely loved the visitor center! Set against a beautiful snow-covered landscape, the center…read moreis a must-visit. The building itself is gorgeous, featuring soaring ceilings and stunning wooden beams. Our picky eater couldn't get enough of the cafeteria's mac-and-cheese, and the surrounding views were completely breathtaking. The Jr. Ranger program was fantastic--it was easy, quick, and the park rangers were incredibly knowledgeable and helpful. We also loved the gift shop and had a wonderful time!

This is a nice visitor center in the Paradise area of Mt. Rainier Natl. Park. It's warm, has a cute…read morelittle museum upstairs and a gift shop. And a cafe downstairs. Cozy seating. Nice for a rainy, snowy, cold day. If you hike up the loops, you can see a waterfall and a glacier. And marmots are popular!

One of America's most majestic peaks, Mount Rainier towers over the Washington landscape like a…read morebeacon, easily visible on clear days from downtown Seattle, 70 miles to the north. Close up, the mountain's 14,000' peak often disappears behind treetops and fog, playing a game of hide and seek with visitors traversing the winding roads of its sprawling national park, craning their necks for a glimpse of the summit. But a visit to Mount Rainier National Park is like a game of chance. You can leave Seattle, as we did recently, under clear morning skies, with the mountain looming far in the distance, and then watch the clouds slowly close in as you near your destination. Weather conditions can make all the difference here, so make sure you pay close attention before setting out. Mid July through early September provide the best window to see the mountain in all its summertime glory -- come earlier in the year and you may find an environment decidedly less accommodating for the casual hiker. Rainier offers dozens of hiking trails, waterfalls, lakes and scenic vistas, and the ideal visit requires multiple days to experience it all. If you're coming for a day trip from the Seattle area, arrive early to beat the traffic at the entrance and prioritize easily accessible spots like Narada Falls, Reflection Lake and Paradise Meadows, where parking spots quickly disappear by noon. We arrived at the South Entrance on a weekday around 9 a.m. and drove right up to the entrance gate, but the lines to enter during peak season, especially on weekends, can be notoriously long. A highly recommended stop is the Longmire Visitor Center, where the rangers will advise you on road and trail conditions and help you plan your day. The park's showstopper is the popular Skyline Trail, a moderately challenging 5.5-mile loop that climbs 1,500' from the parking lot at Paradise Meadows to the spectacular Panorama Point Overlook. In summer, the trail meanders through a breathtaking sea of wildflowers and offers views of glaciers and waterfalls as it works its way across Rainier's southern slope. But on our recent visit, in early June, we found out that a even a light rain can makes the park's spectacular Skyline Trail a dicey expedition. The cold drizzle we encountered at the trailhead quickly evolved into an icy mix of sleet and snow as our family neared Panorama Point, making the narrow trails dangerously slick. Despite coming equipped with winter jackets, warm gloves and sturdy hiking boots, the conditions forced us to retreat before reaching the trail's famous overlook, which was already shrouded in dense fog. Despite not being able to enjoy the views and scenery we had hoped for, our visit to Mount Rainier was an unforgettable experience -- a challenging but highly rewarding winter hike on snow-covered trails surrounded by glaciers, icy peaks, and furry marmots who bounded around us like giant squirrels posing for candid photos. It was also a reminder that any visit to a national park is subject to the grace of Mother Nature, and inspired us to plan a return trip to this spectacular place -- hopefully when we can see Rainier's summit against a blue Washington sky.

1. This review is for Skyline Loop which was a ~5.7 miles round trip that took ~4 hours to…read morecomplete. This was a strenuous, popular and crowded hike with stunning views from beginning to end in Mount Rainier National Park, Washington. Starting the loop counterclockwise; trail was paved at the beginning and end of the loop. Furthermore, trail was mostly a narrow rocky dirt path. Plenty of steep inclines and declines! Large parking area at the trailhead, however most were filled up by 7am. Additional parking on the side of Paradise Rd. Restroom available at the parking lot. Possibly the most crowded hike I have ever done thus far with most people doing the loop clockwise. Short video of the hike for those interested! https://youtu.be/wqZbrcfw_7Y 2. This review is for Bench & Snow Lakes Trail which was a ~2.3 miles round trip that took ~1 hour to complete. Located 12 minutes away from Skyline Loop, Bench & Snow Lakes Trail was a short hike with a stunning view of Snow Lake in Mount Rainier National Park, Washington. Trail was mostly a narrow dirt path with rocks and roots. Furthermore, there were a mix of inclines and declines with stairs. Small parking area at the trailhead. Additional parking on the side of Stevens Canyon Rd next to the parking lot. No restrooms at this location. For the purpose of the AllTrails route, there was a viewpoint with Mt Rainier and Bench Lake from the top with the option to detour to the bottom of Bench Lake. In addition, there was a sign for Snow Lake Camp (left) and Snow Lake (right), both will take you to the opposite sides of the lake. Short video of the hike for those interested! https://youtu.be/fOkP6l29UKE

First time visitor to the Yakima Valley, and stopped in looking for info on visiting points of…read morehistorical interest, particularly Indigenous heritage. I didn't get his name, but the attendant was very helpful, and he made some additional recommendations for the limited time we had. But the highlight was the array of souvenirs. We had struck out everywhere else we looked, but found a nice array of shirts, caps, and other goodies. Our family was very happy with the souvenirs we bought them. From the outside the place looks like it's closed, but it's a must visit!

I've never written a review for a Visitor's Center, but this one deserves a special nod. The…read moreemployees were as nice as nice can be. And helpful! Apparently this facility was recognized as the best Visitor's Center in the Pacific Northwest. It's a cute looking place, offering gratis coffee and donuts (which came at just the right time of day for me.) If you plan to visit vineyards in Zillah, you might purchase the "Wine Trail Passport" for $10. You'll get free entrée to several wineries and a number of discounts on purchases.

The views are incredible and the staff at the gift shop were friendly and patient despite the long…read morelines. Unfortunately, this administration decided that funding the national parks was unimportant therefore there were minimal staff and maintenance. Fortunately, it appeared that most patrons were very respectful and mindful of the need to pick up after themselves.

When you go to Mount Rainier, this is one of the main stops you want to go to. This is the large…read morevisitor center in Paradise and is one of the most visited locations. If you want to let the kids out to stretch, use the bathroom and get a bite to eat, you can do it here. The parking lot will be full but if you keep circling around, you'll eventually find someone leaving. The chicken tacos with rice and beans were actually pretty good. Worth trying if you're needing a bite to eat. The top floor of the visitor center has a lot of different exhibits that tell about Mount Rainier and the wildlife in the area. Would recommend stopping if in the area.

Surprisingly complex and very informative. The variety of exhibits is great. And the native…read morenarratives put the mountain's significance into perspective. Easy access from I-5. Take the time to stop

A nice little science stop a few miles off I-5. While the Johnston Observatory is closed due to…read moreroad repairs, this facility offers a fine alternative for those interested in volcanoes and specifically, Mt. St. Helens. Usual displays and short film. A wetlands boardwalk hike of under 1 mile just outside the building. All this is in the boundaries of Seaquest State Park. And yes, there is a nice view of Mt. St. Helens, though it's approximately 40 miles away (as the crow flies). Admission to the center is $5/each. Not sure how this fee works with the WA State Park fee for Seaquest State Park.

My mother was here visiting from California. Weeks ago she saw a segment on TV about a man in…read moreTacoma who plays taps on his trumpet at sunset to honor the military. Mom wanted to see him. We had no idea where to go, so I went to the Internet for details. That is where I came across the Visitor Information Center in Tacoma. It was our good fortune to have Keith intercept our call. I explained everything to Keith, but he had little information for us. He said he wanted to research our request, and call us back. A short time later Keith called back with the exact info we were hoping for. He was kind, polite, and so very helpful. Keith ROCKS!

After having read/heard about the snowshoe walk that Snoqualmie Falls Park offers, a group of us…read morefinally went and had our chances to snowshoe for the first time at Snoqualmie Falls Park. The rangers at the Snoqualmie Falls Park Visitor Center were very friendly and helpful. You could tell they love the nature and love showing off how amazing and beautiful the nature in the Pacific Northwest is! Our 90 min (the walk was actually free, but with a suggested donation of $15/person) snowshoe walk was scheduled at 10am and the weather happened to be perfect! It was sunny, not too cold...and clear sky! :) Very beautiful! The walk itself was not too strenuous...as it was just a mile walk (although it involved going up and down the hill a bit...so if you are taking someone senior, make sure they are comfortable with walking...a couple people brought their own snow/walking poles too!). There was so much snow (and even a thick, fresh layer of snow when we went!) even though it was already getting into Spring in early March. From what we found out, the walk that we did was on the snow that was 5-6 feet above the ground...how amazing was that! We started off the walk with how to put on snow shoe, then did a little race to get us more oriented into our snowshoe, did some nature walk and ended with time for some photo / snowball fight opportunities. If you are interested in the snowshoe walk, I highly recommend calling and making reservations ahead of time. They only offer free walks on weekends and only in Jan-Mar and even though we called almost a month ahead of our scheduled, the tours were very much booked (although there may be a few spots open up because of last min no-shows if you happened to get lucky). This snowshoe nature walk is a great, very fun experience for anyone (family and/or friends) and a good, short trip away from Seattle!

Did the photo snowshoe hike led by Chuck Davis on Feb 15 . http://alpinescenes.net/biography.html…read more The snow was coming down pretty hard and the cloud cover was low so not great photo ops but Chuck was terrific and prepared with thoughtful lessons on composition, histograms, etc - he covered a lot of territory and was very knowledgeable. He was warm , friendly, entertaining,and professional. His walk really had a great blend of nature, photography and safety education. He took us off trail a little which was great and we tried to find the elusive snowshoe hare. The caboose ranger was Hailu who was very nice, friendly and professional. I always felt safe and able to ask any questions or let them know if I was cold or working too hard. They were very aware of how people were feeling and ensured a pleasant time by keeping a good pace. The staff in the office was also terrific - all of them. I called several times in advance with questions and if it went to voice mail, they ALWAYS called me back - WOW! Don't get that much anymore. You can tell they love what they do and want the best for the patrons. If you have never tried snowshoeing before they'll provide you with free snowshoes, poles and only ask for a donation. It is a great safe environment to go tromping including younger ones. Highly recommend for beginners or not. http://snowshoeingsnoqualmiepass.wordpress.com/ Our trip was in Commonwealth Basin and I think it was about 3 mi roundtrip - pretty easy exercise, but some uphill. I think it ended a little early because we were getting a little chilled. The photo walk is not very aerobic so be prepared with layers to do some stopping for discussion, lunch and picture taking.

Excellent tours, everything is so complete free of thinking executed perfectly. I recommend them to…read moreanyone.

We have used Price-Peterson for years now and we love them! Their prices are great and they work…read morevery hard at tailoring your vacation to exactly what you're looking for. Tina is fantastic!