Mt Rainier

On September 14th through the 16th, Joanna and I took a road trip to Mt. Rainier. The sheer size of the Mountain, the dense forests, the wildflower meadows, snow fields, glaciers and hiking trails of every level of difficulty make this a destination for any outdoor lover.

The Mountain at 14,411 ft is the tallest mountain in the lower 48 and is an active volcano putting steam and keeping one of its two craters warm enough to have a small lake. There is still plenty going on under it's glacier covered cap.

The following are photos taken on the drive up.

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Following are different views of the Mountain

Paradise Inn

The Paradise Inn is where we stayed. It offers various levels of accommodation and has the best location for easy trail access. As you can tell from the above photos, the drive up is quite scenic.

The Moon over the Cascades Foothills

Taken from the deck at the Paradise Inn

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The following are views from our hike up from Paradise Inn

Evidence of the tremendous erosion that occurred in November 2006 when the Park recieved over 18 inches of rain in just over one day. Many roads and improvements were simply washed away. Reconstruction of all roads and trails is still not complete. Current plans call for some of them to not be replaced, or to no longer be maintained.

The above photos are medium, long and close view of Myrtle Falls.

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Wildflowers along the trails above Paradise Inn

All flower photos taken by Joanna

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The Wild Berry Cafe

The Wild Berry Cafe is owned by a former Sherpa and serves American and Himalayan foods. It is a jumping off point for serious hikers of Mt Rainier. There is another famous Sherpa that lives near the cafe and guides climbs to the summit on a regular basis. This is about 19 miles down the road from Paradise Inn. Joanna and I had breakfast here on our way home. Great food and service and very clean.

For More Info:

Rainier National Park: http://www.nps.gov/mora/

For Lodging at Paradise Inn: http://www.mtrainierguestservices.com/

Additional Lodging Choices: http://www.visitrainier.com/