At Sunrise for the Sunrise: Road Trip to Mount Rainier
September 19, 2016
We continued our exploration of national parks with a road trip to Mount Rainier. We had to hit the road at 4:30 a.m. in order to arrive at Sunrise for the sunrise at 6:50 a.m. Our timing was perfect, and we pulled into the Sunrise viewpoint with two minutes to spare!
We breakfasted with a picnic in the brisk, clear air — hard-boiled eggs, small tomatoes, pre-cooked bacon, cheese slices, rice crackers, mango juice. Snow-capped Mount Rainier loomed over our picnic table. Then we drove to the Naches Peak Loop Trailhead where we stepped out for an early morning hike.
“I could walk forever with beauty. Our steps are not measured in miles but in the amount of time we are pulled forward by awe.”
— Terry Tempest Williams, The Hour of Land
Here are some photos from the trail:
And finally, we ended our visit to Mount Rainier with a gondola ride up Crystal Mountain where we had lunch at the Summit Restaurant. We sat on the outside patio in the blazing sun so that we could enjoy the view.
Our visit to Mount Rainier National Park was about as perfect as we could have wished.
Six Views of Mount Rainier
July 17, 2013
This post calls to mind Katsushika Hokusai’s Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji, his series of woodblock prints. Mount Rainier has a similar pull on artists. For example, Tacoma woodblock artist, Chandler O’Leary, created her own limited edition fine art book with views of Mount Rainier — it’s called Local Conditions.
On a recent clear summer day, I took my niece on a drive to Mount Rainier. The air was calm and clear, so our views of Mount Rainier were spectacular. We enjoyed the golden glow of the peak at sunrise at Sunrise, distant views from the road, reflected views in Tipsoo Lake, and a high view from the Summit House Restaurant at Crystal Mountain Resort (accessible by gondola ride). I had also just seen a high altitude view from my airplane window when I was returning from Minnesota. Let me share these views of Mount Rainier here:
“The mountains are playing at standing on their heads, and their reflections are even lovelier than the reality. The water’s depth and mystery impart vibrancy to the images, and the trembling of the surface conjures visions at the edge of a dream.”
— Sylvain Tesson, The Consolations of the Forest: Alone in a Cabin on the Siberian Taiga, translated from the French by Linda Coverdale
Wildflowers Near Mount Rainier
September 14, 2012
The wildflowers are definitely one of the highlights of hiking the Naches Peak Loop Trail near Chinook Pass on Hwy 410. They peak in late summer, so this is still a great time to go and see them. Here are some photos of the wildflowers I saw along the trail:

I am not sure what this is — perhaps yellow dot saxifrage or slender mountain sandwort? Does anyone know?
Hiking Near Mount Rainier: The Naches Peak Loop Trail
September 13, 2012
I just had to take advantage of these last sunny days of summer to head to the mountains for a day hike. I love the Naches Peak Loop Trail for its stupendous views of Mount Rainier and its wildflowers as the trail meanders past several tiny sub-alpine lakes. This is an easy hike. Heading out on the trail just ahead of me was a family with a toddler in a backpack and a two-week old baby in a sling. I parked in the lot by Tipsoo Lake and headed clockwise up the trail so that I would have Mount Rainier in full view for the last part of the hike.
Here are some photos:

If you walk the trail clockwise, you’ll have this view of Mount Rainier on the latter part of the loop hike.