Mount Rainier National Park

I visited Mount Rainier National Park in Washington state last week. I finally got some good weather that I hadn’t gotten on a previous visit to the park. The wildflowers were;t as abundant as I’d hoped, but the park was still beautiful. I explored four regions of the park–Mowich Lake in the northwest section, Sunrise in the east, Paradise in the south, and Longmire to the south.

Mowich Lake

The Mowich Lake section features two main hikes–Spray Park and Tolmie Peak Lookout. The hike to Spray Park is a challenging one that climbs steeply the last mile. It starts off descending into the forest from the Mowich Lake campground. It passes a a couple of streams, one covered in moss that made for some beautiful photos. After 2 miles, you arrive at Spray Falls, one of the tallest waterfalls in the park. The top section is extremely wide which makes it one of the most unique alpine waterfalls I’ve encountered. A tricky creek crossing is required to get the full view of the falls but it is worth it. And yes it is aptly named. My filter got coated in water trying to snap some shots.

Spray Park is a large series of meadows about a mile past the falls and 900 feet in elevation higher. Twelve switchbacks must be ascended on the hike. Spray Park is a large open area with good views of Mount Rainier. There are several tarns that dot the area as well that make for good reflection shots in the late afternoon. The only flowers I encountered in this visit were large clumps of Avalanche lilies.

The other main hike leads from Mowich Lake to Eunice Lake and then the lookout just above it. Again, the hike goes up and down for the first mile and then ascends steeply to Eunice Lake. I went in the morning but really this is a late afternoon hike so the light is on Mount Rainier. As a result, I skipped photos of the mountain that morning.

Mowich Lake is the largest lake in the park but does;t offer a clear view of Mount Rainier. Only a sliver of it can be seen from shore. Also, only the shoreline near the campground is accessible so photo ops are limited here. I did take in a pretty sunset, here, however.

Sunrise

The Sunrise area of Mount Rainier is, as the name suggests, a great place for watching the sunrise and first light hit the east flank of the mountain. The downside of course is that views are virtually worthless in the afternoon as the sun is directly in your face. Both the evening and morning were foggy on the day I spent in Sunrise, but I did manage to get some clearing in the morning to snap some photos of Mount Rainier. The views become better and better as you ascend onto the ridge trail as well. Regrettably, the flowers were the worst in this part of the park so the lower than average snowfall had really put a crimp on the bloom. Something to look forward to on my next visit.

Tipsoo Lake just up the highway had much better flowers but the fog ended any hope of photographs the morning I was there. This is the the place to get a reflection shot of the mountain at sunrise–if the weather is clear. I hiked over the park boundary onto the Pacific Crest Trail and promptly ran into a young bear. Luckily, he was too interested in feeding himself than worrying about me. Ten feet was too close for comfort.

Longmire

The Longmire area boasts some of the best waterfalls in the park and some of the prettiest lakes. I photographed Christine Falls (which is framed under a stone arch), Silver Creek Falls, and Narada Falls (which is just off the road). I then finally got a reflection of something other than clouds at Reflection Lakes. The sunrise was crystal clear the morning I was there. My favorite hike was the short jaunt to Bench Lake and Snow Lake. Mount Rainier is reflected perfectly in the calm waters of Bench Lake in the morning. Snow Lake is a gorgeous emerald color, but to get a view of Rainier you have to bushwhack around to the opposite shore.

Paradise

I explored the insanely green meadows of Paradise in the morning and afternoon. The area features a web of intersecting trails that lead to amazing views of the glaciers on Mount Rainier and some of the mountains to the south. Myrtle falls can also be seen from one of the trails although the trees are blocking the view of it partially. This area had the best fields of lupine and other wildflowers. Although many of the trails in the area are paved, they are very steep so be prepared is you go exploring here.