Tourist Sights and Attractions in Seattle, Washington » Mount Rainier

The Paradise Loop in Mount Rainier

Rajaram S — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 22:38:24 +0000

If you are planning to visit Mount Rainier for a day, i would advice the following route. This route gives you lot of different angles of the peaks, short trails for the avid trekker and lot of beautiful waterfalls for the photographer.

Enter the Mount Rainier National Park from the Nisqually Entrance.
Drive to the Kautz Creek Bridge.
Drive to Longmire, walk the trail of the shadows and visit the Longmire museum.
Go on the Carter Falls trail.
Stop at Christine Falls.
Drive through the Ricksecker Point Loop Road.
Go on the short trail to Narada Falls.
Visit the Paradise Visitor Center and go for any of the dozens of the trails. We went for the Myrtle Falls trail.
Stop at the reflection lakes. (A must-visit!)
Stop at the Box Canyon.

It was late evening by the time we finished all the above spots. But, if you have the time and interest, go for the “Grove of the patriarchs” trail and then return to Seattle either through Ashford and take the mountainous route through the White River side (East of the Park).

Fall season colors in Mount Rainier

Rajaram S — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 22:29:33 +0000

Birds inside the Mount Rainier National Park

Rajaram S — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 22:26:17 +0000

The new lens which Sunil got (18-200 Nikkor VR) was amazing! I could shoot a wide-angle landscape shot and then immediately shoot the bird on a nearby tree. This was a big change for me where i had to change lenses often. I am now confused whether to go ahead with the 70-200 f2.8 purchase, as this 18-200 feels and is very good and is only half the price!

Box Canyon

Rajaram S — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 22:16:44 +0000

It was late in the evening when we got there, but the description of this place enticed us to stop there. Box Canyon is a very good canyon carved by a stream. The canyon is over a 100 feet deep and is just a few feet wide. The photo below doesnt do justice to the canyon. It is really a very good sight to see the water gushing through such a narrow space. it seems that the canyon extends for a further 100 feet from the top of the stream.

Reflection Lakes on Mount Rainier

Rajaram S — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 22:12:06 +0000

I have seen scenes like this only in National Geographic magazines and on TV documentaries. It was a sight to behold. The mountain reflected perfectly on the lake. The main parking spot didn’t have this view. You have to come a little ahead and walk down to the lake through a clearing. Words are not enough to describe this

If you think i have spoilt the above photograph by appearing in it, here’s one without me

Paradise Park Visitor Center

Rajaram S — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 22:06:17 +0000

This is most popular destination within the park and to find parking here is as difficult as, if not more than, downtown Seattle. The only difference is that the parking here is free. I was shocked to see that parking slots extended to even after a mile from the main visitor center. One would get tired just by walking from your parking slot and wouldn’t have any energy left for the trails.

There are dozens of trails (short and long ones) starting from the Paradise visitor center and the map provided at the center is amazingly accurate as far as the details of the trails are concerned. This visitor centre at 5000+ feet is the highest point on the Mount Rainier mountain you can drive up to. So, it is no surprise that you are treated to magnificient views along with carpets of wild flowers.

We were waterfall crazy on that particular day and chose the Myrtle falls trail which is close to the skyline trail. It was a short walk (less than a mile) and the fall looked good with the mountain in the background.

Narada Falls

Rajaram S — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:49:50 +0000

No idea why this falls is called the Narada Falls (Maybe appears in Hindu Mythology somewhere!), but this is a truly majestic waterfall. Don’t miss it. This involves a short but steep (0.5 mile downhill and then the same distance back) walk to get a grand view of the fall.

Ricksecker Point Loop Drive

Rajaram S — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:18:40 +0000

Six miles down the road from Christine falls, the one-way Ricksecker Point Road , offers fantastic views of the area’s beauty. You can even see the Nisqually Glacier.

Christine Falls

Rajaram S — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:10:39 +0000

A short drive further up from Longmire/Carter Falls will bring you to a parking lot next to Christine Falls. Few steps down will take you to a lookout point from where you can get a beautifully framed view of the falls.

Carter Falls near Longmire

Rajaram S — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 18:53:46 +0000

if you go from Longmire towards Paradise, you will come to a trailhead giving directions for Carter falls. we were surprised that a trail had been laid out going across a river! We didn’t go until the falls as the round trip distance of 2.2 miles was a little too much for a bunch of software engineers. But, the views from the riverbed were awesome. There was also a woodden bridge (a little shaky) across the leftover stream.