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!
.JPG "Bird watching in Mount Rainier")
.JPG "Bird Watching in Mount Rainier")
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.
.JPG "Box Canyon")
.JPG "Box Canyon")
.JPG "Box Canyon")
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 
.JPG "Reflection Lakes Mount Rainier")
If you think i have spoilt the above photograph by appearing in it, here’s one without me
.JPG "Reflection lakes Mount Rainier")
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.
.JPG "Paradise Visitor Center")
.JPG "Paradise Visitor Center")
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.
.JPG "Myrtle Falls Paradise Center")
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.
.JPG "Narada Falls Mount_Rainier_National_Park")
.JPG "Narada Falls")
.JPG "Narada Falls")
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.
.JPG "Mount_Rainier_National_Park")
.JPG "Mount_Rainier_National_Park")
.JPG "christine_waterfalls_Mount_Rainier_National_Park")
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.
.JPG "Christine_Falls_Mount_Rainier_National_Park")
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.
.JPG "Mount_Rainier_National_Park_carter_falls")
.JPG "Mount_Rainier_National_Park_Carter_falls")
.JPG "Mount_Rainier_National_Park_Carter_Falls")
.JPG "Mount_Rainier_National_Park_Carter_Falls")
Longmire could be the first rest stop in your trip arund Mount Rainier. There is a restaurant, Wilderness information center and a souvenir shop at Longmire. The Longmire museum house lot of artifacts from the history of Mount Rainier and also has on display, pictures and stuffed displays of the various animals and birds in the region.
.JPG "Mount_Rainier_National_Park_Longmire")
.JPG "Mount_Rainier_National_Park_Longmire")
A short walk through the cabins and the work area will take you to a woodden suspension over the Niswqually river. Again, good photo-ops.
.JPG "Mount_Rainier_National_Park_Longmire")
.JPG "Mount_Rainier_National_Park_Longmire")
There is a short trail (0.75 mile) called the trail of the shadows. This trail goes around a small lake and is in the midst of huge trees which practically shut out the sun. This trail goes near a mineral hot springs discovered in 1883 by james Longmire. A good short-walk.
.JPG "Mount_Rainier_National_Park_Longmire")
.JPG "Mount_Rainier_National_Park_Longmire")
.JPG "Mount_Rainier_National_Park_Longmire")
.JPG "Mount_Rainier_National_Park_Kautz_creek")
This is one of the first spots (after entering through the Nisqually Entrance) where you will get good views of the snow-capped peaks. This was the site of a massive mudflow back in 1947. There is a small boardwalk which will enable you to get to the side of the river for some good photo-ops.
.JPG "Mount_Rainier_National_Park_Kautz_Creek")
