7 Notes on Visiting Mt. Rainier National Park
I visited Mt. Rainier National Park in June 2024 on a road trip through Washington state. I had always known of it, but it had never captured my imagination, and I had no idea what to expect. I only stayed for a few days, but the Park completely blew me away.
So That’s Why A Single Mountain Gets An Entire National Park
There aren’t many National Parks centered on a single feature. Most protect landscapes. The Grand Canyon, Denali, and Crater Lake are, of course, the exceptions that prove the rule. I had zero idea how a mountain that doesn’t shatter records like Denali gets an entire National Park.
Ok, I truly had zero idea. Rainier is incredible. I had no idea that it had so much topographic isolation, so you can see it from a hundred miles away in Seattle. It’s perfectly shaped – like a storybook mountain.
And the landscape around the mountain is has more of a storybook look than a lot of storybooks. The beauty around the mountain is at an absurd level. There’s also an incredible amount of wildlife and history. I understand why Rainier not only get an entire National Park, but also why it was one of America’s first National Parks.
Built For Touring & Old school Visitor Patterns
Since Rainier was established as one of the first National Parks, it’s the epicenter for the history of America’s National Parks, which, of course, were a uniquely American idea at the time. We didn’t quite know what the idea fully was at the time, so Rainier is home to all the architecture, planning, and remnants of the evolution of our National Parks.
The entire Park is built for old-school auto-touring where you enter at one end of the Park, make stops at various points and then exit out one side. It’s a circulating design. And the entire design itself is a historic landmark district. This means that parts of the Park get very congested and the entire Park is subject to reservations & fees to prevent overcrowding.
Best Day Hiking on Earth
The hiking trail that encircles the base of Rainier is the Wonderland Trail. The name is apt. The trail is 93 miles and requires permits for backpacking. It’s famous around the the world. But the attention that the Wonderland Trail gets overshadows the incredible day hikes everywhere in the Park.
Every trail is challenging, exciting, and shockingly beautiful. And there are dozens of them. If put in a State Park or another State by itself, every single one would be a go-to destination. But since they are all together in Rainier, most are not crowded at all. I only saw one or two other people on the couple of day hikes I took.
Limited Space Means Tricky Planning
The topography and history of the Park means that there simply is not much space – especially for modern cars. That’s a good thing overall! But it also means that planning is tricky.
Overnight lodging requires booking in advance. There’s no quickly driving to the other side of the Park. And there’s no sleeping in or showing up midday at a popular trailhead.
Insane Weather Means Tricky Planning
Rainier creates its own weather, and the patterns are insane. We showed up in mid-June to avoid crowds. But apparently, in June, there’s still 6 ft of snow at the Paradise area of Rainier(!). Many roads are closed for snow until July 1st. Storms pop up randomly. The summit is continually covered in clouds. There’s lots of rain.
But when it’s crisp with clear skies, you just want to bottle it up.
The weather shifts also mean that you have to have all the gear for all the potential shifts. Our day at Paradise included snow on the feet, 80F air, then rain, then wind, then heat again. It’s wild.
Park Concessionaires Were Worth It, but Not As Good as Other Parks
The National Park Service works with independent contractors to provide food, lodging, and guest amenities at many National Parks. And even though the National Park Service sets minimum standards of service, the contractors do vary in quality from Park to Park. And it’s not always the contractor’s fault either, some Parks are just, for various reasons, very difficult to service.
I thought that Rainier fell into that last bucket. The physical buildings are old, the location is remote with no local labor or infrastructure. That said, the concessionaire was still not as good at other National Parks (especially vs. Delaware North which operates Olympic, Shenandoah, and others). They seemed to be focused on hitting the minimum rather than looking for ways to maximize service & upside.
The Park Is That Convenient To Seattle
Even though Rainier is remote and doesn’t have a true “gateway” town like many National Parks, it really is that convenient to Seattle. I was able to wake up at Rainier and get to my gate at SeaTac airport on a not-too-rushed morning.
On clear days, you can easily see the mountain from Seattle. It’s a very special National Park – I’m glad I got to visit.
