We spent the day driving through and stopping at all of the roadside turn outs in the southern side of Mt. Rainier National Park. Another incredible park--the National Park Service really does a nice job. Mountain vistas, waterfalls, rain forest, historical lodges, beautiful trails. They have something for everyone, from just roadside viewing, to easy short hikes, to 1 -3 mile hikes, to long hikes through the back country.
We started at the Nasqually entrance, on the southwest side of the park. Our first stop (other than at the turnouts to view the vistas) was at the Longmire Museum. We walked the 1 mile Trail of Shadows loop. This was the area Mr. Longmire long ago established a mineral springs/spa in the area. The trail wandered through the rain forest, along side the mineral spring wetlands. Both had interesting ecosystems.
The next stop was at the Christine Falls, right next to the road. Beautiful stone bridge and waterfalls. And, all waterfalls have some kind of gorge/valley/canyon.
The scenic drive through the Park was indeed VERY scenic. Mt Rainier, a 14,000 footer, has glacial ridges all around it. Each of the ridges look like mountains themselves, and provide incredible views. Unfortunately, the day was completely overcast, so we never actually SAW Mt Rainier, only the clouds hovering around the peak, and floating down into the valleys. Yet, it was a really neat feel to the day. The clouds added a dramatic look to every view. And, when we were just a little below the peak, the vistas cleared up.
The Paradise Inn Visitor Center was the next stop. We watched a 20 minute video, where we did see views of Mt Rainier. Then we hiked a portion of the Skyline Trail, up to Myrtle Falls, about a mile each way. We were pretty high up, and in the clouds, so it felt like it was sprinkling. And, it was chilly. But Mytrle Falls was enchanting. The Paradise Inn is an historic Inn, that had a coffee shop and was warm. So we sat and drank our coffee for awhile, enjoying the ambiance.
We continued on the scenic park road, past the Reflection Lakes, which usually show the reflection of Mt Rainier in them. But, not today. The road then went through Stevens Canyon, which, as the name suggests, follows a Canyon ridge, with vistas all along the way. Box Canyon had a very intense waterfall, into a very narrow canyon, also right along the road. We did a short walk through these meadows made of moss-covered rock, to a little bridge over the box canyon.
Our last stop was at the Grove of the Patriarchs. This is on the far southeast side of the park, and is a walk through a really old-growth forest. It has some of the oldest, tallest trees in the Park. We left the Park through the Ohanapecosh Entrance.
By this time, Peter was loosing steam. We took the southern road back to the RV, stopping in the town of Morton for a Mexican dinner.
Mt Rainier photos:
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| Old Longmire Mineral Springs |
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| Longmire Mineral Springs |
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| Christine Falls |
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| Narada Falls |
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| Paradise-Skyline trail to Myrtle Falls |
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| Myrtle Falls |
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| Paradise Inn |
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| Reflection Lake |
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| Stevens Canyon |
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| Box Canyon |
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| Grove of the Patriarchs |
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