The snow has melted on most of the hiking trails, and the wildflowers are at their peak.
Mt. Rainier (or simply, “the Mountain,” as locals call it) rises 14,000 feet above sea level and is a focal point of the Seattle skyline when the skies are clear. Mt. Rainier National Park is a pretty, 2 to 2.5 hour drive from Seattle and makes an excellent day trip from any of our member inns. The 2 most popular visitor’s centers from Seattle are Sunrise, on the northeast side of the park, and Paradise, on the southwest side of the park. Both offer outstanding views of “the Mountain” and the wildflowers, as well as food service and other facilities.
There are hiking trails for every level throughout the park, including wheel chair accessible trails. One of our favorite hikes is the “Grove of Patriarchs,” which is an easy, fairly flat, 1 mile hike through old growth forest on the southeast side of the park. For more details and directions, see www.visitrainier.com.