While visiting Nisheet’s family in the Seattle area, we planned some fun day trips with the whole family. The first of these trips was to Mount Rainier National Park. We have always wanted to visit Mount Rainier, and since Nisheet’s family had never been either, it was going to be a new experience for all of us. It was a spur of the moment decision to go, so we didn’t get to do our normal extensive research beforehand. I looked only long enough to pick out a hiking trail and to see there was a scenic drive, and then we hit the road. It ended up being an absolutely fantastic day!
The drive from Seattle to Mount Rainier National Park is just under 2 hours. It is a beautiful drive, and the closer you get to the park, the more amazing the views become. One minute you’ll be driving on winding roads through dense forest with gigantic tall trees, and the next minute the road will hug a cliff with a breathtaking vista.
We finally made it to Mount Rainier National Park and almost missed the signed. It isn’t the normal official looking national park sign on the side of the road. Instead it’s three logs forming a gateway. Such a fitting entrance to this park!
The first stop of the day was the Grove of the Patriarchs Trail. It is just past the eastern entrance, and you can’t miss it because of all the cars. The parking lot was obviously full, so we joined the line of cars parked along the roadway. If it had been just me and Nisheet, we probably would have chosen a different trail, but this was perfect for a group. It is a very easy and short trail that is great when you have older grandparents and young kids. You might not get any views of Mount Rainier, but you get to see ancient 400 year old trees up close and personal. And the best part is that there is a swing bridge along the way. Who doesn’t love that?
After the brief hike, we loaded back up into the cars and headed westward along the Stevens Canyon Road. Our goal was to end the day at the Paradise Visitor Center, and you could probably make the drive in roughly half an hour if you drive straight through. But, the drive took a couple hours for us. The views were simply breathtaking, and we made use of all the pullouts along the way. It was too cloudy to see the namesake mountain, but the vistas were still stunning. Plus, I thought the clouds made the park seem mystical. Also, I highly suggest visiting in July like we did. There are gorgeous wildflowers everywhere adding gorgeous pops of colors to the already beautiful scenery.
Like I said, the short drive took us a fairly long time because we kept pulling over to admire the views, but we finally made it to Paradise. Before going to the visitor center, we had to take a quick family photo at the sign!
The visitor center was interesting but super crowded. Since it was an unusually chilly July day, everyone wanted to warm up inside. It was hard to move through the swarms of people. On the bottom level, there was a large overpriced cafeteria, and a theater showing a brief documentary about Mount Rainier. Upstairs there was a small museum and a gift shop. We spent a bit of time looking around, eating pizza from the cafeteria, and then headed back out.
Behind the visitor center are some awesome trails. Normally they provide stunning views of Mount Rainer, but instead the trails wandered up into the clouds. It was still beautiful though. There were fields of wildflowers, snow patches, and pretty waterfalls.
After spending a bit of time on the trails, it started getting dark, so we headed back towards the visitor center. We had one last place we wanted to go before heading back to Seattle though. On the opposite side of the visitor center’s parking lot is the Paradise Inn. I highly recommend stopping by, especially on a chilly evening. There is a cute little gift shop, a restaurant, a roaring fire surrounded by comfy chairs, and a lively wood beamed lobby filled with music, chatter, and families playing board games. It was the perfect way to end our quick 1 day tour of Mount Rainier National Park.
