Some of the most beautiful scenery, we drove up to Paradise Inn. At the entrance beautiful fir and cedar trees, lush green forest, awesome waterfalls and at Paradise Inn it was snow covered hills. Want to return there and stay in the beautiful timber Inn..

Why am I even bothering to write this review, when of course you already know that this is a stunning, magnificent place, filled with magic and wonder! If only I could, I would come back in July and August and stay at the Paradise Inn and head out in the night to see the stars! And the wildflowers! Now at Paradise when we went, there is a sign in the Visitors Center stating that "there are no paths that are free of snow". lol! People just a few days ago are still skiing at Paradise. When you enter the park via the Paradise entry, make sure you stop at Longmire - so much history here! You'll visit Ricksecker Point, Narada Falls, stop at all of the gorgeous falls along the way. Even if you have only one day (which is all that we had), you have the opportunity to take this mystical place in, to feel the solitude, the glory - spectacular! If clouds are covering the peak, wait, be patient - the clouds and mist generally lift. And wow, the volcano emergency exit signs as you are leaving! Rainier is an active volcano, it's been several hundred years since it's last eruption, but it is still active!

This park is so big and offers so much to do. You really need to give yourself plenty of time and realize it will take a lot of time to travel to the various areas of the park it you want to see them all. Paradise is beautiful, but get there early.

Mount Rainier is a large national park but one that can be realistically visited in just one day. The highlight is the Skyline Trail along the base of the mountain that was covered in a foot of snow even in late June. This is the most popular area of the park and the parking lot filled up by 10 am, but the rest of the Park was not crowded. The box canyon, a thin slot canyon where the glacial river flows through, was another highlight, as were several waterfalls and many scenic views.

What a great surprise and treat! The entire perimeter is lush and beautiful and the many viewpoints are worth the stop. Unlike most major mountains around the country, Rainier just keeps getting bigger, better and more beautiful as you wind your way to the summit lodge. Even more amazing is when you leave the park and head back toward Tacoma or other spots. Suddenly the mountain you never noticed before seems to be around every bend of the road. A must visit!

This is an amazingly beautiful and awesomely exciting park to visit. Views of mount Rainier are spectacular and views of the surrounding areas are sweet. BUT, if you want a good experience, you need to plan carefully. First, don't try to see too much in one day. We visited Sunrise only, and did one hike only (the Mount Fremont Lookout Trail) because we only had a few hours. Certainly we could have done more than we did had we stayed the whole day, but I would suggest not to visit multiple areas in one day as it can become too stressful. Second, make sure to arrive early to avoid the crowds. We arrived by 8:00 and were able to drive right in with plenty of parking, and at that point, there was not much crowding on the trail. We tried to come here once before in the afternoon and they would not even let us in the gate because of the crowds. Third, be sure to pick a day (or days) that is NOT a weekend or holiday. We chose to visit on a Wednesday...maximum enjoyment. Finally (and this may be the hardest part) go the the park on a clear day. For most people, this is hard to plan for, and I know people who visited the park and never saw the top of Rainier because of clouds. At the end of the day, with good planning, this is clearly one of the most wonderful National Parks in the USA.

We went to the most popular Nasquilly entrance (southwest), the most popular. After the entrance there is a 20 minute ride to the parking lots. THEY FILL UP EARLY so plan on arriving no later than 930AM. The scenery is amazing, colorful mountain meadows, waterfalls, wildlife, glaciers and hiking trails that range from easy to very difficult. The most amazing scenery you will ever see. Plan on spending the better part of the day. Large visitor center and park rangers to guide you. Remember, go early. When we left at noon the line to enter the park was miles long.

We went during the summer and we were told that lines getting into the park would be long, however we didn’t have any issues. There was road construction connecting park of the park on the east side so we just stayed on the south side of the mountain. We went to sicksecker point and got our feet went in the water by Narada Falls. We hiked around Reflextion Lake for a beautiful view of Mt Rainer.

I don’t know how to review a mountain. But if you are visiting Mt Rainier National Park, you certainly want to see Mt Rainier. We entered the Park at the Nisqually entrance and I told the ranger “we are running late, it’s a clear day and I want to see the peak”. She said “Just head up to Paradise, it’s just 19 miles straight up this road.” Well, the road isn’t straight, it’s a series of switchbacks, because… it’s on the side of the mountain. Mt Rainier dominates everything, each viewpoint is more astounding than the last. It is so impressively massive, the pictures just can’t capture it’s true essence. It truly deserves to be in this National Park.

Be prepared for getting mesmerised when you near My. Rainer. The serene silence of the snow covered cliff gives the feeling that it is at penance! I observed for three days that the peak was coveted by dense mist. May be because that was Autumn.