Wow, wow, wow! I am not sure what I expected from Mt. Rainier NP but was a bit surprised by the overwhelming beauty of this wonderful park. It was the 4th national park, established in 1899. Our ancestors knew what they were doing to protect this fabulous, unique resource. It has everything; rivers, streams, waterfalls, alpine meadows, old growth forests, wonderful hiking, great roads and of course the mountain itself. Even the visitor centers were interesting and one of them appropriately named Paradise with gorgeous 360-degree views and lots of tables and benches to enjoy the scenery. Our good luck continued as we were blessed with warm, dry weather and blue skies that highlighted the stunning fall colors of the meadows.
We completed a variety of hikes and we were rewarded with spectacular vistas of the glacier-covered peak, waterfalls, and meadows of red and gold. Reflections of the massive trees and the mountain were particularly breathtaking in several lakes and were a great excuse take in the beauty of the wilderness. These respites were welcome as hiking at 5000+ feet left us occasionally a bit winded. A number of fellow travelers had told us how much they enjoyed Mt. Rainier and we too, turned into enthusiastic admirers of this outstanding park.
Icing on the cake came in the form of our wilderness campsite that was surrounded by massive evergreens and overlooking a stream. So picturesque and a perfect place for that glass of wine at the end of the day.
