Skyline Trail
3 / 3
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 madhouse at the Paradise Visitor Center the day before, we got an early start for our one-hour drive into the park. On the way, we stopped at Reflection Lake and were treated to a picture-perfect mirror of Rainier on the still water. Then it was on to the Paradise Visitor Center, where overflow parking was already close to full just before 8 a.m. We set off on the Skyline Trail, a 5 mile loop with about 1,700 feet of elevation gain that winds up to close-up views of the Nisqually Glacier.
Reflection Lake
1 / 27
We reached the highest section of the loop, and had lunch while looking out at the surrounding Cascade peaks and Rainier’s glaciers. Wildlife sightings were… marmots. Lots of marmots. In case we missed the first five, there was one more just to be sure. They posed on rocks, basked in the sun, and watched the view along with us. The first one we met was parked right on the trail, greeting hikers with a toothy grin.
On the way down, the trail passed through the best wildflower meadows we’ve seen yet on this trip — sweeping slopes covered in lupine, paintbrush, and heather, with the mountain standing tall above it all. Near the very end of the loop, we crossed Myrtle Falls, just a short walk from the visitor center. It was packed, and we actually waited in line for a turn at the viewing deck, but the waterfall with Rainier towering behind it was the perfect finale to the hike.
On the way down, the trail passed through the best wildflower meadows we’ve seen yet on this trip — sweeping slopes covered in lupine, paintbrush, and heather, with the mountain standing tall above it all. Near the very end of the loop, we crossed Myrtle Falls, just a short walk from the visitor center. It was packed, and we actually waited in line for a turn at the viewing deck, but the waterfall with Rainier towering behind it was the perfect finale to the hike.