+ Good trailhead checkpoint to begin Mt Rainier hikes. +…read moreRestrooms, drinking water. + A restaurant too. + Enticing museum upstairs. + The weather is chilling cold, even in June. Lots of snow and fog throughout the vicinity. + We saw a few marmots along Mazama Ridge. - Glad they didn't issue a parking ticket, only a warning, for everyone parked along the curb across from this Visitor Center. However, they should've built more parking spaces for us. We visited on a June, and it was PACKED! No one could find parking anywhere else. We almost left if we couldn't find parking D:

This is a beautiful visitors center! Let me start off by talking about parking. Mount Rainier is a…read morepopular national park and this parking lot in Paradise fills up incredibly fast. I suggest that if you want to visit in the morning, show up on a weekday and try to arrive before 7:30 AM. The issue is, the visitors center doesn't open until 10:00 am. Most people show up early for the hikes and won't come back to free up a parking space for an hour or two (or four if you are hiking skyline). Back to the visitor's center.....it's beautiful. Pretty spacious but it does get quite cramped depending on the number of visitors and what time you go. The gift shop is pretty large too but it does get crowded. There is another gift shop a short walk away in the Paradise Inn too, if you are feeling claustrophobic. The park rangers working the desk are so friendly and give useful tips and suggestions about trails. There is a theater room where you can watch a short video on mount rainier too. The upstairs across from the gift shop is a tiny "museum" about the flora and fauna of Mount rainier. It's a great visitors center. The only downside is the women's bathroom needed maintenance (stall doors didn't lock) but overall, one of the best visitor's centers I've visited

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.

One of the best visitor information centers we've been in. In my career I supervised a visitor…read moreinformation center and taught customer service so I'm pretty well-versed. First off, well-signed and easy to find from both directions. Second, easy to read large map of the region out by the front door showing the towns and parks (with simple graphics showing amenities at each park). It's nice that you can get info even after hours. Inside you'll find plenty of brochures for the region to help plan your trip. Finally, but in my opinion, most importantly, they have a wonderful young woman inside who really knows her job. She greeted us warmly when we walked in and came out from behind her desk to help us. She knew every brochure they had and was able to answer our questions. If I were still in this line of work, I'd hire her in a heartbeat. She makes this place what it is!

Olympic National Park has several visitor centers and ranger stations because of how big it is…read more This is the main visitor center for the park. Olympic National Park Visitor Center is in Port Angeles on the road to Hurricane Ridge. It has plenty of parking spaces and a welcome sign that you can get a photo in front of. This was my first visit to Olympic National Park. I appreciated the help that I received from the staff here. They gave me information on how to navigate my way around the park. I was excited to make the trek up to Hurricane Ridge for the day. It is one of the most visited areas of Olympic National Park. I wanted to do the Hurricane Hill hike while I was here. The park ranger explained to me how to get to the trailhead and where to park. Because the Wi-Fi is spotty in this area, they have paper maps available. Olympic National Park Visitor Center is also a gift shop and sells snacks and beverages. The building itself is spacious and has two levels. There are exhibits about the park's natural and cultural history, a discovery room for kids and a film that plays throughout the day. Make sure you check out the wildflowers out front and the nature trails behind the building. Also, don't forget to stamp your national park passport book while you are here. There are entrance stations on Hurricane Ridge Road once you pass this visitor center. The drive up to Hurricane Ridge is around 17 miles. Hurricane Ridge Road sometimes closes in the winter due to avalanches.

Awesome place. We go out national park stamp and stickers. Great place to go. Thank you once again…read morefor the staff. It was so much fun we learn a lot.

Very beautiful visitor center. It reopened in 2025 after being closed for renovations and I have to…read moresay, the architecture is GORGEOUS with vaulted ceilings and large windows to let in the surroundings. There's wood paneling which helps you feel immersed into nature. There's an informational desk about the area, helpful for visitors newish to the area or those with questions. The gift shop is also accessible with the usual offerings of post cards, tchotchkes, and such. Do note that the restrooms are accessible outdoors at the side of the building. There's a pay area part of the center which is $5/18+, $2.50/7-17, free for 6 years old or younger, and family $15 for 2 adults and children 7-17 years old. They also honor veteran's disabled pass, WA state disabled pass, and senior limited income pass. It's definitely worth the admission, since there's a lot of exhibits explaining the geology of the area, the flora and fauna, the native peoples, and the later commercial and recreational uses of the area. There's even a place where you can walk into a huge mock up of Mt St Helens! Very fun. They have a short film playing about the eruption too. I didn't get to explore much outside as it was super rainy, but I saw a boardwalk trail out in the back. I did not see Mt St Helens due to the weather, but I'll be back when the weather is nicer!

Just stopped in to get a map and road conditions. you can…read morepay a small fee and see the exhibits. Discounts for Washington Residents only.

I really enjoyed this visitor center and the surrounding area. It was a bit of a drive because I…read morewas staying in Packwood, but it was worth it. It took me over an hour to get here. I wanted a different view and perspective of Mount Rainier after spending time on the Skyline Trail the day before. Sunrise is the highest point that can be reached by vehicle at Mount Rainier National Park at 6,400 feet. The visitor center has some nice exhibits and a gift shop. Park rangers are available to answer questions. There is a larger gift shop with food and snacks in the building next door. The nearby nature trail around the visitor center has picnic tables for eating and relaxing. Mount Fremont Lookout Trail is next to the Sunrise Visitor Center and is a popular trail to hike. The views are gorgeous from this location. The parking lot is huge, but does fill up during the day. Sunrise is only open in the summer months.

This is a really nice NP visitor center. It's not quite as big as the main one at Paradise, but it…read morehas a good size gift shop, educational area, and in a separate building nearby they have a little cafe for snacks. There is a bathroom there but I didn't have a chance to use it since they were cleaning right when I got there. I think it has running water though, it looked like it would. This visitor center has a nice big parking lot just like the one in Paradise but don't be fooled - it'll still fill all the way up. By the time we were leaving around noon, people were parking in non-spot areas along where the trail and the road run along each other.

There is a large selection of items of Microsoft themed items. The staff were very helpful. On the…read morevalue, was worth it as you do not have to pay to get in there and there is a fun little museum with a lot of cool items that you can look at.

The company that changed the world. Iconic. Windows, Office, Azure, CoPilot to name of few of…read morewhich gave rise to a ton of competition - competition is good. No company is perfect including MSFT. Come here to see some relics, the origins, the present, and the future. From Xbox, to Minecraft, Surface, merch and much more. Some of the merch though is spendy, spendy as in tourist spendy which I'm a bit sad about. Make things a bit more accessible for everyone, not everyone can afford a normal looking $90 fleece etc. Come here, learn about a company that was pivotal to move humanity forward. Take a photo next to the iconic Microsoft sign. And make yourself better 1% today, and everyday. :)

Hurricane Ridge is one of the most visited areas in Olympic National Park. It has an elevation of…read moreover 5,000 ft and is about an 18 mile drive from Port Angeles. Hurricane Ridge is known for skiing, sledding, snowboarding and its many hiking trails. The mountain views from up here are just breathtaking. A lodge and visitor center stood here for 70 years. While preparing for renovation work, the building was completely destroyed by fire on May 7, 2023. Right now there is a temporary structure in its place that has working toilets. A ranger is on hand to give out paper maps and answer any questions for those that want to hike or explore the area. Sadly there is no food options or a gift shop here at Hurricane Ridge anymore. If you want to shop for gifts, you can visit the Olympic National Park Visitor Center in Port Angeles. They have set up a small table outside for those that want to stamp their National Park Passport books. The parking lot near the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center is really spacious. You can also hop on a shuttle from Port Angeles for a couple bucks if you don't want to do the drive yourself. There are many trail options that range from easy to difficult for those that like to hike.

Very good spot . Visitor center has a cafe which serves good food . We got few stuff to eat and it…read morewas good . Especially the potato fries . Loved it . Few seats to sit and eat . Wish they had more seats . Lovely views from visitor center . Clothing / merchandise is very expensive. A hoodie costs about 52$ here ! Insane .. not a very good place to shop souvenirs.. parking can be tricky . Overall a good experience.

James was amazing. Had lots of great suggestions for things to do. We did alll of them and did…read morenot regret one decision. Give that man a raise!!!!!!

Perfectly located just in front of Seattle's largest tourist attraction, the Pike Place Market…read more This kiosk is filled with travel guides and coupon books. It is also open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m with a concierge to help you maximize your time in the Emerald City. The staff member covered all the bases from transportation to restaurants to tours of the city (walking, bus and boat). They will even help you book reservations for certain activities. He pointed out a few random things to see at the market (gum wall, ewwww) and the surrounding area and was great all around welcome wagon for the city. Make sure you pick up both a Seattle Deals and Seattle Premier Attractions booklet which contain coupons for tours, restaurants and shopping. We used several during our trip.

Kim Johnston - Tacoma, WA Greece and Italy…read moreHorrible first hotel, second hotel in Rome not near anything except the train station (few restaurants, no shops or anything). Tours not close. Could have taken a taxi to the train station, instead of several taxis and walking. Not happy. Missed the paid for Colliseum tour because she did not print those details (she did all the other tours) and by the time we figured out how to get that information it was to late. Kim should have also told us that for big tours like the Vatican, you are herded around like cattle ($$$$$$$$$) and have no time to enjoy what you see (you are better off with a picture book. Would not use Kim Johnston at Travel Leaders again. Makes you just want to go home. Very disappointing. Very expensive vacation. Oh, now in Florence in a room you can't move in (tiny--2 women and 2 suitcases and 2 backpacks--can't move. I wish I could set the itinerary for Kim's next vacation. Now in Venice and same rotten deal. Hotel away from everything and water taxi round trip is 160 euro. Kim would probably say she was trying to keep costs down ($11,700) before going anywhere). But, she could have told me that with my budget, trip would not be enjoyable. I can't possibly express our disgust and disappointment. Absolutely can't wait to be home! Will never use Travel Leaders again.

My sister and brother-in-law have used this travel agency many times in the past. We recently used…read morethem for a trip to Iceland and the Scandinavian countries. We had a little problem with an excursion in Iceland. My sister in law contacted Travel Leaders about the problem when we returned. Attached is a copy of the email conversation. We will not use them again. Anita Larson From: anitaclarson39@gmail.com To: Kim Johnston , travelleaders@travelleaders.com , Cindy Cienfuegos Wed, Sep 11 at 3:39 PM Good morning, Ms Johnston.What you say in part is true: the details with contact information to modify or confirm your pickup location. It ALSO states that to make these changes or to cancel to notify Gray Line 24 hours in advance of the start time of the experience - which meant that before 10:00 a.m. on August 1st we were to contact Gray Line. Our flight arrived at the Iceland airport at 1:25 p.m. on August 1st. By the time we arrived at our hotel it was after 4:00 p.m. or close. We had no intentions of canceling the tour. Why did your employee, Katie Ellis, NOT put us at the hotel of tour pickup since SHE made all these bookings?? How were we to be expected to be familiar with the hotels in a place we had never been. And all we were requesting was to be reimbursed the price of the tour ($364.32 for 4 people). We didn't request the price of 2 nights of hotel and transfers to and from the airport (this includes my brother Mr. Daniel Cienfuegos and his wife Cindy and my husband and I) which were made ONLY because we were to take the tour. Ms. Johnston, I feel that you have just brushed us off and I resent it. In the future we will use another travel agency. Anita C. Larson On 10/09/2024, at 4:34PM, Kim Johnston Kim@travelcenter4u.com wrote: Hi Anita, In reviewing your tour voucher again, Gray Line, the tour company, advised pick up information of an address for meeting your tour at 10.00am. I don't see where the tour company advised that they would be picking you up at your specific hotel. I'm sorry for the confusion about this. Meeting and pickup Pickup Point Downtown Reykjavik Apartments, Raudararstigur 31, Reykjavik 105 Iceland I do see the details with contact information to modify or confirm your pickup location and time if necessary. In this instance the tour operator was advising that you come to them to join the tour at the time and address provided. Procedures vary from tour to tour. The voucher we sent over states. You must contact the local operator to confirm your pick-up location and pick-up time. Again, I am so happy you had an overall great trip. It's disappointing you weren't able to connect with this tour but the pickup information was clearly indicated on the voucher. Please let me know if there is any additional assistance I can provide. Kim Kim Johnston Manager, Leisure Department