One Day at Mt. Rainier, Washington
- Issiah Rau
- Oct 7, 2023
- 5 min read
Sharing my experience with photos
by Issiah Rau
Of all the fire mountains which like beacons, once blazed along the Pacific Coast, Mount Rainier is the noblest. - John Muir
Recently I embarked on a week and a half long journey through the Pacific Northwest. This vast and massive landscape where mountains meet the beaches of the Pacific Ocean is breathtaking, and perhaps, overwhelming for some. One of the spots highlighted on my trip was Mt. Rainier National Park. The towering Mt. Rainier, standing at 14,411 feet, quickly mesmerized me. I had the realization that the beauty of this place is impossible to tell through just photos, so I decided to write here about my experience.
Mt. Rainier was included on my jam-packed itinerary along the west coast, and I made sure to invest my energy fully into exploring this 14,000 foot beast in just one day. My recommendation is for you to spend much more time here than I did.
Being born and raised in Milwaukee, WI - this mountain range is quite a different environment for myself. Living at sea level creates a distinct challenge for us when scaling up in elevation (ears popping, cases of altitude sickness, scary thoughts of mountain lions, etc.) However upon entering this National Park, the fresh mountain air and blue skies invited me to explore its beauty with no worries in the world. I checked into my campsite at Cougar Rock and took a 15 minute drive along the winding Stevens Canyon Drive to Paradise Village.
Entering the southwestern side of the national park, my rough plan for the day was to ascend the Skyline Trail located in Paradise, WA first and foremost. However, as most travel enthusiasts may know, things don't always go as planned on these kind of trips. I arrived to Paradise around noon just to find massive amounts of cars trying to find somewhere to park. This was caused by the road on Stevens Canyon Drive being closed on the east side of the park, cramming all of us in the south entrance to be crammed there.
When I plan trips out I always have a Plan A, Plan B... and sometimes a Plan C. This was no major issue for me as I always come prepared! So, instead of waiting my turn at Paradise, I decided to go to avoid the crowds and detour my first hike to Snow Lake.
.. and WOW! The crystal clear blue waters found at the end of the 1.2 mile hike to Snow Lake were well worth the detour. I came bundled in 3 layers of clothing for the hike on this sunny, 50 degree day. By the time I got to Snow Lake, I was drenched in sweat. Once I got close I knew I was going to get in the water and it was beyond worth it. I spent some time relaxing on a nice rock near the edge of the water and got a little sun tan in. The vibes were incredible.
The hike to Snow Lake was relatively short and I made it back to the car for a midday lunch break and started plotting the next move. There's no chance I was going to skip the Skyline Trail, and timing worked out perfectly as the bunch of tourists near Paradise started to disperse. I drove back towards Paradise but had to stop at the scenic overlook that caught my eye on the way back.
I snapped a few photos of the sweet forest landscape tucked under the peak of the mountain alongside other tourists doing the same, but my attention was taken away when one of nature's pilots greeted me! I knew it wouldn't take long to encounter some of Mt. Rainier's critter population, as this friendly blue bird started trotting along the path besides me. This guy was very comfortable around humans which suggested he knew this was a popular feeding ground.
Steller’s Jays move around with bold hops of their long legs, both on the ground and among the spokelike main branches of conifers. They pause often to eye their surroundings, cocking their head with sudden movements this way and that. Jays have incredible spatial memories, and Steller’s Jays store surplus food in caches. They also raid the caches of Clark’s Nutcrackers and other jays. Steller’s Jays are common nest predators, stealing both eggs and chicks from the nests of many species. They are very social, traveling in groups, sometimes playing with or chasing each other, or joining mixed-species flocks. One of the most vocal species of mountainous forests, Steller’s Jays keep up a running commentary on events and often instigate mobbing of predators and other possibly dangerous intruders. (via allaboutbirds.com)
Back to the main goal - ascend up the Skyline Trail as far as I can to Rainier's peak. After hanging out with my bird friend for a bit, the crowds at Paradise were still there but much easier for me to find a parking spot at the base of the mountain village. Around 5pm this was the perfect time to start my hike up to catch the golden hour. So, I started walking up the incredibly steep path leading out of Paradise. The interesting part about this area is the main trail diverges into several trails, giving you many different options of distance, difficulty, etc. I decided to test myself and take on the Glacier Vista trail - a 2.7 mile round trip loop ascending about 1000 feet.
The climb up is difficult, but the views along the way will entice you to keep going. This scenery reminded me of something you'd see in Lord of the Rings. With the help of lots of water, I put my legs to work along this hike. Do not be like the guy who asked me if I had any water halfway up the trail (yes, this happened). While I didn't make it to the 14,400 foot peak, the views from Glacier Vista had me feeling very accomplished and one with the mountain.
Took a breath of fresh air at the pinnacle of my hike and headed back down, and encountered this family/friend group of marmots. I had no idea where marmots existed in the world but these guys have to be some of the chillest in the world. Shout out to marmots.
As sunlight was fading I once again drove southeast towards Reflection Lake to catch the sunset (see photo at top of page), relaxed for a bit as I awaited the stars to start creeping out. None of my trips are ever complete without some stargazing.
Catching a small glimpse of the milky way at at the end of the day is always a satisfying feeling. I wish I had planned to spend more days at Mt. Rainier but I had to keep moving, but all in all I think I had the perfect one-day experience here.
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