Snapshot Planning Your VisitWhen we visited the park We have visited this park in the spring and in late summer. From those two experiences, I would recommend summer. Mount Rainier has turned out to be one of my favorite parks, and I can't wait to explore it more. The summer offered a cool morning for hiking and exploring some of the higher elevations, and then a warmer afternoon to explore the forests and waterfalls. The wildflowers were spectacular in the summer, and an added bonus while visiting.  weather-us.com Things to Consider 1. The first thing to know is, accessing this park requires driving to different areas, that can take up to two hours. There is not one road that accesses all points. 2. You need an entry reservation during peak times of the year. It costs $2 for a reservation, but peak times can sell out. 3. There is limited service in the park at times. Plan accordingly for communication, gps, and parking. 4. Paradise corridor is busier than the sunrise corridor, with more amenities available. 5. Paradise Inn would be well worth staying at and putting in the effort to get a reservation. This historic building is ideal for anyone planning on hiking in this area.   We could see the park entrance from our room. We walked down for an entrance picture after dinner one night. How to Get There Southwest Entrance
Where to Stay Inside the Park National Park Inn This small lodge is located in Longmire, WA in the southwest part of the Paradise corridor. There are 25 rooms available here with common areas to enjoy. It costs between $190-$450 a night to stay here depending on the type of accommodation and time of the year. Book early if you plan to stay here. Paradise Inn Designated as one of the “Great Lodges of the West,” Paradise Inn provides a relaxing retreat in Mount Rainier National Park with miles of hiking trails just outside the door. There are 121 guestrooms, although they are small by today’s standards and without the modern amenities of televisions, telephones, or Internet, the location allows you to easily explore the park and find a comfort in a slow paced get away. It costs between $218-$432 a night to stay at the Inn, depending on type of room. Outside the Park Ashford, WA Gateway Inn The closest lodging to the southwest Entrance to the park. This is where we stayed when visiting the park. There are rooms in the motel and cabins available for rent. It was acceptable lodging, but there are some fancier places in the area. Mounthaven Resort Located about two miles from the entrance to Mount Rainier, the cabins and grounds here help you feel like you are lost in the woods. There are cabins that can accommodate up to 9 people, as well as RV sites. This was a beautiful spot to stay. Stormking Cabins & Spa These wood style yurts are located in Ashford, WA and will offer you a unique experience to stay. There is also a spa on site to help you relax and reset in nature. Nisqually Lodge The Nisqually Lodge is a 24 unit lodge located a mere five miles away from Mount Rainier National Park. The year-round lodge is situated near the town of Ashford, Washington with more amenities that the smaller resorts. There are rooms that can accommodate up to eight people. Alexander's Lodge This historic site is worth considering for a unique stay in Ashford, WA. It has been around for over 100 years, and each room is unique and different. There are also trails to explore and a pond to enjoy on the grounds. We drove by this site and I had to pull over to check it out. Copper Creek Inn This place had a restaurant, Lodge, and cabins available to rent. It seemed like a great place to be a central gathering place for larger groups or people looking to stay for a longer period of time. It is well reviewed, and only about two miles from the park entrance. Packwood, WA Cowlitz River Lodge This beautiful lodge is located on the edge of town, with elk frequenting the front lawn. It has a variety of accommodations and is surrounded by beautiful scenery. Hotel Packwood This historic boutique hotel, offers unique lodging options for guests. You will appreciate the beautifully renovated rooms, all unique, and the accessibility to the town and adventures in Mount Rainier. Packwood Inn This is probably the most affordable option for lodging near Mount Rainier. The motel has traditional motel accommodations and is centrally located in Packwood, WA. Camping White River Campground The campground sits at 4,440 ft in elevation, 1200 ft higher than any other campground with amenities in Mount Rainier National Park. White River often opens at the end of June or early July and stays open in late September. The campground has are 88 campsites that cost $20 a night. There is a 27 ft RV limit and an 18ft trailer limit. Cougar Rock Campground Cougar Rock is relatively rustic, but has drinking water, flush toilets and picnic tables at all 173 campsites, in the popular southwest are of Paradise corridor. This facility is one of only two campgrounds in the park with campsites that can be reserved for $20 a night. Visitors must use extra caution with food storage, as foxes and other animals have been known to frequent the campground looking for food. Ohanapecosh Campground This large campground has 188 individual sites for RV or tent camping situated among the ancient trees. There is drinking water, but no electric hookups. It costs $20 a night to reserve a site. Visitors must use extra caution with food storage, as bear and other animals inhabit the area around the campground. Packwood RV Park & Campground This 87-site, privately-owned campground is open year-round and located about 20 minutes outside of the park. There are options for or small cabin rentals here as well.   A stopping point on Skyline Trail What We Did We spent about two days at the park, and could have easily spent a week exploring all the hiking trails here. We spent all of our time in the Paradise Corridor of the park. We also tried to go early in the morning to avoided some of the large crowds that come here in the summer. One recommendation is to head to Paradise right away in the morning and get some hikes in early. The visitor center doesn't open until later in the morning, but the cafe at Paradise Inn does open, and has one of the best outside sitting areas I have been to. While we were sitting gand enjoying some huckleberry pastries, multiple deer came out of the woods and walked by the lodge. I also fell in love with the historic lodge, and hope to stay there in a future visit. It was about a 45 minute drive from the entrance to Paradise, WA, so plan accordingly. After we had eaten and I had my coffee, we headed out for the Skyline Trail. We knew we wouldn't be hiking the whole trail. but our goal was Myrtle Falls. It was about a mile hike to the falls, and it is uphill the whole way. The scenery though, just keeps getting better the further you hike. It is all paved up to Myrtle Falls, but eventually the trail becomes more rugged. There were plenty of benches and stopping points along the way though. I am glad we did this hike early, because there is little shade, and the sun gets hot quickly. After making it the falls, we were ready to hike back down. By the time we got back down, the Paradise Park Visitor Center was open. This was a cool visitor center with plenty for the kids to see. The park rangers there helped us understand the unique wildlife and vegetation that the park has. As I have said, when the kids are older, we are planning a longer hiking trip here to explore some more of the remote places. We then started heading back to Ashford, WA. Driving Paradise Loop Road is stunning in itself. We stopped at another waterfall on our way back to our hotel, Narada Falls. This one can be short and sweet with viewpoints from the parking lot, or you can hike down closer to it.  Reflection Lake Our second morning at Mount Rainier we headed to Reflection Lake. I am glad we did this early, as with the morning light, they say you can see the reflection of Mount Rainier better. There were few people here, and we enjoyed walking the trail along the Lakeshore. I would highly recommend this stop while you are visiting this park. If you are limited on time, try to make this short drive from the main road to spend some time along this calming lake and view. The drive to Reflection Lake also allowed for us to stop at Inspiration Point and some other turn offs with viewpoints. It was a beautiful drive, with different things to take in at each viewpoint. We were looking to do two hikes this morning, but the toddler was not having the best time. We stopped at Twin Fir Trail, and it was a beautiful half mile hike through a majestic woods. The trees were huge and ancient, and it just felt so refreshing to be walking through the woods here. We climbed fallen trees and appreciated the size of the fir trees here. We were surrounded by moss and ferns, and it gave the forest a whimsy feeling as we walked the trail. The other trail we were going to try to stop at was Kautz Creek Trail. This was a busy trail, and the parking lot was almost full by the time we got to it. If you plan to hike this trail, I would do so early to avoid larger crowds, or to find parking easily. This is clearly a popular spot for people to explore. We decided it was time to get food and head on to our next location at this point of our trip.          Where this fit in our Road Trip This was the second stop on our week long road trip. It was the first of the three national parks in Washington. We started in Portland, and drove a couple of hours up to the park. We stayed just outside of the Southwest entrance by Ashford, WA (we could literally see the entrance from our hotel). We only spent a day here, and I regret that. I wish we would have had another day to hike and explore this beautiful park. NPS App and All Trails Maps I highly recommend using the National Park Service (NPS) App, as well as the All Trails App for hiking. There is limited service in the park, so planning ahead is helpful. These two apps allow you to download sights, maps, and trails so that you can access information anywhere. The NPS app also links to the full National Parks Website, with a plethora of information.
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