Mount Rainier National Park

Our family trip this summer was a little different than in the past. We usually travel via truck and 5th wheel camper, however, the Pacific Northwest was a little past our range in the time frame we had to travel. 

Our first stop along our PNW tour, is Mount Rainier! Wow was she showing off for us. We were a little nervous with weather, not knowing how much snow was still left on the mountain. I decided to make room for our microspikes, just in case. It paid off! 

The Paradise entrance was the only entrance open June 11-13 while we were there. The road to the Sunrise entrance was not open yet due to snow. You also need a timed entry for this park and make sure to purchase the correct entrance. The drive up to the Paradise Visitor Center was beautiful and you could see gorgeous views of Mount Rainier and surrounding mountains the whole way. Like I said, we really lucked out with the weather and views.

This is the view point at Reflection Lake. As you can see the lake is still partially iced over. Still got a little reflection today! 

Perfect day to get some great shots of Rainier on our way up to the visitor center.

Panorama Point Hike

This was definitely one of our top 10 hikes! We wore micro spikes which helped a ton. This was not easy, with 1,115 feet of elevation gain. The mileage was only 3 miles total, but that elevation gain in snow was no joke. 

We did not get to finish this hike all the way due to melting snow. Rangers were stopping people at Glacier Vista because of the dangerous conditions up to panorama point. Although, we didn't get to complete the entire hike...it was still in our top 10 for difficulty and gorgeous views.

Narada Falls-quick stop and short walk

Trail of the Shadows and the Longmire Museum-easy little walk to see some really big trees

Lodging

We stayed in a mountain view cabin in Packwood. It was a great location and very cozy. We had elk right out our window in the morning.