My husband and I have traveled the last 4 years the weekend after labor day. We love it. It’s typically cheaper and less crowded wherever we go. I’m sure this won’t last once my kiddo is in kindergarten, but we’ll see.
For this “Post Labor Day Weekend” my husband, kiddo (18 months), and myself made our way across the country to Mt. Rainier National Park in Washington. We absolutely love National Parks in our family, this is the 21st park my husband and I have visited together, and 7th for my kiddo. Read along to learn a little more about the park, what we did, and what we’d do differently!
Basic Information
Mt. Rainier was one of the first national parks, established in 1899. It is South of Seattle in Washington. The big draw is, as appropriately named, Mt. Rainier, standing 14,411 ft above sea level.
The park is broken up into two main sections, Paradise and Sunrise.
Sunrise is located on the Northeastern side of the park and has one entrance, the White River Entrance. Sunrise contains the White River area and the Sunrise Visitor Center area.
Paradise is the more popular and visited portion of the park containing the Paradise Visitors Center Area, Longmire Area, and Stevens Canyon Area. Visitors will drive both Paradise Valley Rd and Stevens Canyon Rd to experience this portion of the park. Paradise is home to two National Park Hotels, the National Park Inn located in the “Longmire” portion of the park and the Paradise Inn located at the base on Mt. Rainier at the Paradise Visitor Center.
Peak visiting time for this park in July and August, and reservations are required during this time – make sure to check the National Park Service website if you’re planning a trip to see if you need to make a timed entry reservation. While you’re on the website, check what will be open during your visit as many of the park amenities are only available late June – mid October, and many of the park roads are seasonal late June – early Dec.
Park Entrance fee is $30 for 1-7 days.
Annual Interagency pass is $80.
*Subject to change.
How We Got There
We flew into Portland International Airport and rented a car to drive the 2 hours to get to our hotel in Ashford, WA.
You also have the option of flying into Seattle.
Personally, we preferred Portland as the rental car center is onsite in the airport parking garage as opposed to Seattle’s rental car facility is a crowded shuttle ride away. Whichever you choose, make sure to give yourself plenty of travel time as both Portland and Seattle are known for heavy traffic, especially near their airports.
Where We Stayed
We stayed at the Nisqually Lodge located in Ashford, WA on the Southwestern side of the park. The lodge is located about 5 miles west of Mt. Rainier’s Nisqually Entrance in the Paradise Area.
Pros: The lodge was clean, staff was nice, and it was comfortable accommodations minutes from the park entrance. If we weren’t so exhausted each night, they had a mini library and a collection of board games for guests.
Cons: Minimal food offerings, minimal grocery options, minimal gas options…and you definitely need gas. If you are thinking about renting an all-electric vehicle for your trip to this park, my recommendation is don’t. We met one family driving a Tesla that entered the park, got to the first parking lot which was essentially visible from the park toll booth, and realized they didn’t have enough of a charge to experience the park. They attempted one hike from that parking lot, and then were planning to leave. (This is more a critique of the park as a whole.)
The town of Packwood is located about 7+ miles south of the Stevens Canyon Entrance to Paradise was larger and had a better gas station than Ashford, this is actually where we filled up. Packwood seemed to have more restaurants, services, and accommodations – it is just further to enter and exit the park. Packwood is located on the same side of the park as Sunrise, which could make that trip easier.
What We Did
Day 1
Context: Sunday in the offseason if you’re gauging for crowd references, and we entered the park around 7 am – there was a small line to get in, took about 10-15 minutes)
Reflection Lakes: The recommendation is to do this first thing in the morning to see the reflection of Mt. Rainier while the lake is calm. This was our first stop, and while there was a haze our first day, it was still beautiful. We drove past it later in the day, and with the wind the reflection just doesn’t hit the same off the waves.
Bench and Snow Lake Trail Hike: Listed as a Moderate on all trails. Snow Lake is supposed to be the big pay off, but the day we were there, we were more wowed by Bench Lake which is the first lake you come across on the trail. Don’t let the elevation number fool you – this trail is essentially a roller coaster going up and down, and some may consider a few areas a scramble, like getting up and down to Bench Lake. Parking filled up for this one by the time we finished around 9:30 am. Rating: Would do again if we had lots and lots of time, otherwise, there were better things to do.
Box Canyon: While you can view the water a bit from the road and viewpoint, there is a short trail/walk/stroll if you cross Steven’s Canyon Road from the parking lot that takes you to a bridge that has the most insane views of the canyon and river 115 ft below. Rating: Highly recommend! No one else was on the walking path to the bridge and was a fun hidden gem the day we were there. (Sidenote: In my research to writing this I’ve learned this trail is a loop – I can only speak to the ease of the paved path.)
Grove of the Patriarchs: This is a highly rated trail, but it was closed while we were there. Looking forward to trying this our next trip.
At this point our child had fallen asleep in his car seat and we were trying to figure out what next. Ultimately, we ate lunch in our car while the kiddo slept, then adventured to Packwood to find gas. Kiddo was still asleep at this point, so we drove to the Sunrise area. We got to the traffic at Sunrise Entrance toll booth around Noon. On a Sunday. It took us about 40 minutes to get through the toll booth – IT WAS ONE IN ONE OUT on a non-peak season Sunday. Plan accordingly if you are visiting.
Viewpoints: There are several viewpoints as you make your way up and down Sunrise Rd. There is one major one, complete with parking lot and hike that may be of interest. You’ll know it when you see it. We stopped for the views, but not the hike.
Silver Forest Trail: Easy nature trail that my kiddo walked. Claims to be 2 miles round trip, but there are no markings for the “end” – so we turned around after getting to a beautiful vista. There are two mountain viewpoints on this trail as well. Rating: Would do again.
Snack Bar: This was the best of the 3 gift shops in the park, in my opinion. Take that for what you will.
After a snack and some walking around the Sunrise Visitor Center, we started making our way back to our hotel and the Paradise Area.
Silver Falls: We parked in the Grove of the Patriarchs lot and crossed the street at the signs marked “Eastside Trail” to hike to the Silver Falls. I would call this moderate for the amount of elevation encountered. Rating: DO THIS. Absolutely stunning. Love a good alpine waterfall.
At this point, it’s 5 pm. We’re done.
Day 2
Context: Monday in the offseason. Got to the toll booth at 6:55 am and there was NO LINE.
Reflection Lakes: Day 1 was hazy and we never really got the pristine blue sky view of Mt Rainier – but Day 2 was our day! Too bad the mountains are gonna mountain, and although you could see the mountain perfectly clear on Paradise Valley Rd, Stevens Canyon Rd and Reflection Lakes only had clouds. Wild. Rating: Will always try because who doesn’t love a still lake with a reflection of a massive mountain.
Skyline Trail: This is listed as Strenuous in the official park guides – and rightfully so. The recommendation is to do this trail clockwise, so we did. If you go clockwise – you are facing Mt. Rainier pretty much the entire ascent, and you slowly descend through a beautiful meadow. If you go counterclockwise you ascend through a meadow and then your descent is with Mt. Rainier behind you. The trail is not easy either way you decide to go. It is a 5.5-mile loop with an average completion time of 4.5 hours. There is a reason this is the most popular trail in the park – the views cannot be beat. Did I die getting to the top of the trail? Yes. Am I glad I did it? ABSOLUTELY. Make sure to get to this early as the parking lot fills up and the last thing you need is an uphill hike to the starting point. Rating: Would do again…but like probably do more cardio in advance.
Narada Falls: I think the official guides list this as a moderate as it’s pretty much just stairs down and back to a gorgeous waterfall just off the main road. Rating: Would do again.
Trail of the Shadows: Easy, peaceful nature walk past creeks and into massive trees. Park at the hotel and cross Paradise Valley Rd using one of the crosswalks to access the trail. My kiddo loved that he could walk this himself (other than crossing the street). Rating: Would do again.
Places to Eat
Copper Creek Inn Restaurant: Basic bar food. Offers carry out. Food was good. Staff was nice. Would eat again. The outside is also super cute as you drive by.
Paradise Visitor Center Deli Counter: Pizza, hot dogs, sandwiches, grab and go. Perfect for after a long hike with lots of seating.
If you are a foodie, this is not the trip for you.
Things We’d Do Differently
Pray to the sun and cloud gods to allow us to see the reflection of Mt. Rainier in Reflection Lakes? Jokes.
In all honesty, I feel like we saw the highlights of the park and everything that was open.
We loved this park and would recommend for any and all to visit.
I’ve seen others say it’s possible to do this park in one day if you have a long day. While you can definitely make this work, I think two days gives you the space to enjoy and take your time and get in several hikes.
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