National Park Geek Series - Mount Rainier

Last week I wrote about our trip to Washington several years ago and how we visited the Olympic National Park. You can read more about it here. During that trip we visited Mount Rainier, which is one of my favorite national parks that I’ve visited so far. It is definitely the most accessible national park that I’ve been to. It’s not very remote from several nearby major cities and if you drive from one end to the other, you can see a lot of the highlights just by pulling over on the side of the road. A few of the scenic stops required very short trails but I think that most people of any age or level of physical fitness could access these views.

Mount Rainier is the highest mountain of the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest as well as the highest mountain in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a large active stratovolcano located 59 miles southeast of Seattle and is considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world because of its large amount of glacial ice.

We entered the park through the Nisqually entrance (which is on the west side of the park) and drove through the park and exited on the east side. It took about three hours to drive through the park and allow to stop several times to take pictures and explore. We made several stops along the way that included:

• Kautz Creek

• Christine Falls

• Narada Falls

• Paradise

• took the turn-off in Stevens Canyon to White Pass Scenic Byway to see Reflection Lake

• Box Canyon

• Grove of the Patriarchs

Christine and Narada Falls were by far my favorite stops as they were beautiful and monstrous waterfalls. There was still snow at the highest point of the scenic drive. Because of the ferry delay we experienced that morning due to fog, the sun was already too low for us to see the reflection at Reflection Lake. To say I was disappointed would be a huge understatement. I’d recommend starting to visit the park early in the morning so that you don’t make the same mistake I did and you will also experience a lot less crowds.

I would highly recommend you put this national park on your list, it’s really beautiful and as I said before very accessible.

Have you ever been to Mount Rainier? Let me know if you need help getting there!

My name is Anna VanAgtmael, and I am a certified yoga instructor with a passion for yoga, travel, and connecting with others.

I believe in trying everything once. My values lie in collecting memories over things. Though we desire adventure and authentic experiences, naturally our fear holds us back.

My ambition is to inspire and encourage you to unmask your fears and jump into the unknown.

Anna VanAgtmael | Yoga Enthusiast | Travel Designer