Mount Rainier National Park

Adventure awaits in Rainier!

 Location: Washington

Why Visit? Extremely unique landscape, and the (good) chance of catching a glimpse of Mt. Rainier!

Most people don’t recognize the gem that is Mount Rainier National Park, nestled near the coast in the northwest of Washington State. I first stepped foot in this majestic playground about a week and a half after I visited Yosemite with my family on our RV trip. As we worked our way up the coast, Mount Rainier was one of the last stops before we hit Seattle.

When my parents informed me that we were going to be spending a few days exploring Rainier, I wasn’t terribly excited. To me, Mount Rainier was not as well known as Yosemite, Yellowstone, and Rock Mountain National Park… how great could it really be? We were nearing week two of RV living and needless to say I was getting sick of my family and anxious to get home to my friends, or at least a hot shower and reliable cell service.

But years later, Rainier holds a special place in my heart, as all mountains do. Just standing near it makes you feel like such a tiny soul in this word. One second its obscured from view by the typical overcast weather, and the next it is out from behind the clouds, shining in all of its magnificence. I can’t imagine what it would be like to summit it, but I would love to try someday. It stands proudly 14,410 feet above sea level, the highest point in the Cascade Range, and is an active volcano due to its location near the San Andres Fault.

Sizing up Rainier

For some reason, the one memory that always stands out to me from my short time in Rainier was a picnic lunch spent at a lookout spot along a trail hike. We had a gorgeous view of the peak of the mountain, which we considered ourselves lucky because Rainier is notorious for being hidden behind clouds for days, causing some visitors to never catch a glimpse of it. I remember sitting on a rocky ledge, enjoying some very delicious snack pack chocolate pudding (anything and everything tastes good when you’re hiking), taking in the grandeur of the surrounding landscape. How sweet were the simple times.

The view from our picnicking spot… pretty sweet right?

So, if you are ever on the West Coast I would highly recommend dedicating time to visit Mount Rainier National Park as a sort of reality check: this mountain can really put you in your place. The alpine meadows are also beautiful in the spring/summer season, and Portland and Seattle are two nearby cities that are worth a day trip if you are craving some West Coast culture as well. Happy Travels and THON weekend 🙂

Maddie

http://www.nps.gov/mora/