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Mount Rainier National Park, Ashford, WA

Photo: Samuel Kerr, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sport & OutdoorIconicOutdoor Adventure

Mount Rainier National Park

Nisqually Entrance, 39000 State Route 706 E · Ashford, WA

Why you should go…

Mount Rainier National Park surrounds a 14,406-foot stratovolcano with more than 25 glaciers on its flanks. Paradise, at about 5,400 feet, is the most popular area, and Sunrise, at 6,400 feet, is the highest point in the park you can reach by vehicle. The Wonderland Trail circles the whole mountain, and the park holds about 91,000 acres of old-growth forest. Established in 1899, it also draws climbers, who need a permit to go above 10,000 feet or onto glaciers.

  • #national park
  • #volcano
  • #glaciers
  • #hiking
  • #wildflower meadows

Good to know

General sport & outdoor guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Weather calls the shots

    Check the forecast the morning of and keep an indoor backup in your pocket for the day it turns.

  • Shoes, water, sun cover

    The three things that decide whether you last the whole outing or cut it short after an hour.

  • Parking and launches fill early

    On a nice weekend, lots and trailheads are often full by mid-morning.

  • Daylight shrinks in shoulder season

    Spring and fall visits need an earlier start than the same trip in July.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Mount Rainier National Park, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Outdoor Adventure

    Crystal Mountain Resort

    $50+

    You ride the Mt. Rainier Gondola to a summit restaurant facing Mount Rainier, or ski 2,600 acres of Cascade terrain.

    21 mi awayMore like this

  • Attractions
    Family Favorite

    Seattle Scottish Highland Games

    $25–$50

    An annual Scottish and Celtic festival with athletic championships, pipe bands and clan gatherings near Seattle.

    32 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions

  • Sightseeing
    Local Gem

    Auburn

    Free

    Regional guide and business network for Auburn, Washington and the neighboring cities of Algona and Pacific.

    43 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Museums
    Iconic

    LeMay - America's Car Museum

    Under $25

    A 165,000-square-foot Tacoma museum showcasing one of the world's largest privately assembled car collections.

    44 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Outdoor Adventure

    Snoqualmie Falls

    Free

    A 268-foot waterfall taller than Niagara, with an easy viewing platform 30 miles east of Seattle.

    55 mi awayMore like this

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Outdoor Adventure

    Waterfront Adventures

    $50+

    Rents boats, jet skis and paddleboards from a Lake Washington marina in Kirkland.

    65 mi awayMore like this