Skyline Trail
6 / 6
On our second morning on the Paradise side of Mount Rainier National Park, the clouds finally parted and the mountain revealed itself in all its glory. After seeing the chaos at the Paradise Visitor Center the day before, we got an early start for the roughly one hour drive into the park.
On the way, we stopped at Reflection Lake and found Rainier mirrored perfectly in the still water. From there, we continued on to the Paradise Visitor Center, where the overflow parking was already close to full just before 8 a.m. We set out on the Skyline Trail, a 5 mile loop with about 1,700 feet of elevation gain that climbs to close-up views of the Nisqually Glacier.
By the time we reached the highest part of the loop, the views were wide open. We stopped for lunch with Rainier’s glaciers and the surrounding Cascade peaks spread out around us. Wildlife sightings for the day were, apparently, marmots. Lots of marmots. In case the first few were not enough, there always seemed to be one more nearby. They posed on rocks, soaked up the sun, and took in the scenery right along with us. The first one we met was parked squarely in the trail, greeting hikers with a toothy grin.
On the way down, the trail passed through the best wildflower meadows we had seen yet on the trip, with sweeping slopes of lupine, paintbrush, and heather and the mountain rising above it all. Near the end of the loop, we crossed Myrtle Falls, just a short walk from the visitor center. It was packed, and we actually had to wait in line for a turn at the viewing deck, but the waterfall with Rainier towering behind it made a perfect finale to the hike.
It was everything we had hoped for from Paradise: big mountain views, wildflowers, marmots, and one very crowded waterfall finale.
By the time we reached the highest part of the loop, the views were wide open. We stopped for lunch with Rainier’s glaciers and the surrounding Cascade peaks spread out around us. Wildlife sightings for the day were, apparently, marmots. Lots of marmots. In case the first few were not enough, there always seemed to be one more nearby. They posed on rocks, soaked up the sun, and took in the scenery right along with us. The first one we met was parked squarely in the trail, greeting hikers with a toothy grin.
On the way down, the trail passed through the best wildflower meadows we had seen yet on the trip, with sweeping slopes of lupine, paintbrush, and heather and the mountain rising above it all. Near the end of the loop, we crossed Myrtle Falls, just a short walk from the visitor center. It was packed, and we actually had to wait in line for a turn at the viewing deck, but the waterfall with Rainier towering behind it made a perfect finale to the hike.
It was everything we had hoped for from Paradise: big mountain views, wildflowers, marmots, and one very crowded waterfall finale.