“Hiking” Mt. Rainier

Have you ever wanted to stand on top of a mountain?
(I have)

Maybe you’re not a serious hiker/climber (hi, me again) and standing on mountain tops doesn’t really seem like a realistic option for you. Whelp, I’m here to tell you that you CAN do it and it’s not as hard as it sounds.

I’ve got you covered– and Mt. Rainier in Washington state is the place.

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Just a little background to get started:

Mt. Rainier is a prominent feature of the Seattle skyline (on a clear day, anyway).

Topping out at 14,410 (nearly 3 miles!) feet above sea level, Mt. Rainier features gorgeous alpine meadows, glaciers and is the highest peak in the Cascade Range of America’s Pacific Northwest. She’s a big bish.

Mt. Rainier is also an active volcano (last eruption in 1894) and is currently “at rest” between eruptions. Its snowy peak is the built-up product of about 500,000 years of eruptions and is home to 25 glaciers that feed 5 major rivers.

We accessed snow-covered hiking trails from Mr. Rainier National Park.

Just a 2.5-hour drive from Seattle, the Park features over 260 miles of maintained trails through old-growth forests, river valleys, and subalpine meadows for the public to enjoy. While there is a per-car fee of $30 to enter the park, the trails and views beyond are all free of charge!

I had the indispensable luxury of a local guide- one of my old pals from the East Coast who moved to the area a few years ago and does some serious hiking. While I love an adventure, I wouldn’t call myself a serious hiker, so it was nice to have someone with me that knew exactly how far we could go without getting too… serious.

It was wonderful to have someone in tow that knows the ropes in the area, but it’s not entirely necessary. The park does a great job with directional signage and it’s pretty easy to locate the trails.

As we ascended along the snaking streets of the park, every sharp corner was an exciting chance for a glimpse of Mt. Rainier’s peak.

Rounding ridges along cliffside drops to certain doom, the snowcapped behemoth would bop in and out of view as we climbed higher and higher.

Winding through hillside forests of enormous pines and ferns and over valleys carved by glacial flow rivers, the sun streamed through the trees in a way that beckoned us to round every next corner and discover what wonders were on the other side.

I mean, I knew it would be lovely. But damn.
This place is on another level.

We were headed for the top- an area appropriately named “Paradise” on the southern slope of Mr. Rainier. Here, you can park your car right at the snow line of the peak and access a few different trails. We were hoping to hike as far up as we could before ice spikes and more serious equipment would be required to safely continue.

Our trail of choice was the Skyline Trail, beginning in Paradise near the Jackson Visitor Center.

Labeled as a “moderately difficult hike,” the trail is paved for the first few hundred feet and loops up to “Panorama Point” and back down to the trail’s start- 4.5-5.5 miles in total (depending on which shortcuts you choose to take).

On the day we visited (in late October), the entire landscape was covered in a layer of snow and ice with cold gusty winds and bright sunshine bouncing off the blinding white ground.

Once we’d hiked beyond the short paved portion of the trail, it felt like we had left the country and found ourselves on a blustery peak somewhere in the Himalayas.

The crisp clean air on Mt. Rainier is intoxicating.

I immediately gave in to the urge to breathe deeply and fill my lungs beyond their capacity with the purity of this place.

Makes for a nice happy little buzz.

While we weren’t able to make it all the way to Panorama Point (the icy and windy conditions made for a struggle in our non-serious hiking attire), we trudged as far up as we could and the views did NOT disappoint!

This is the kind of place where your mind just can’t compute what your eyes are seeing.
Absolutely breathtaking.

Heading back down the mountain, we traversed a few precariously icy hillsides and stopped for snowball fights and icicle snacks.

As incredible as the ascending view of Mt. Rainier’s peak was, the view over the rolling Cascades as we descended was even more magical.

Peaks and ridges seemed to stretch for eternity and my trusty pal pointed out signs of high-altitude climbers setting up camp for the night on far distant ridges.
Way cool.

Driving down the mountain and back into civilization, the wonderland began to fade and signs of human life became more prevalent with every mile.

Every few minutes, I gave in to the urge to peek back at the majestic mountaintop we had just so easily conquered growing ever smaller against the sunset in the distance.

I immediately missed the brisk fresh air and craved the meditative silence of what felt like the solitary top of the world.

I’ll be back one day. And this time we’re going all the way to the top.